A Hero's Time Warp
by Mizz-Madam
Summary: During the Kamehameha showdown in the Cell games Cell decided to challenge Gohan to a rematch... in the past! So in the 23rd WMAT Gohan has to keep his identity secret. However, that wont be easy, seeing that his father and friends are fighting too!
1. Prologue

**A Hero's Time Warp**

* * *

**Prologue**

Gohan stared at the view before him; the rain from the previous night had evaporated into new bright rays of beaming sunlight. It was fortunate for him especially, seeing that he had no money, no place to stay and certainly nothing to keep him warm from the harsh weather. So the only area he could use to shelter himself was under a large oak tree outside of an old hotel. The hotel had a lot of customers; that was probably because of the 23rd world martial arts tournament. The young fighter frowned, still glaring towards sky. This tournament happened before the boy's time; many years ago. Twelve years to be exact.

It wasn't a long walk from the hotel's oak tree to the tournament. Actually, it only took about ten minutes at a slow human pace. The thought made Gohan frown even deeper. He was a human down at heart and knew better than to show off his powers. However he was not a big fan of being secretive and pretending to be someone he wasn't, completely opposite to his usually open book life. But he had to keep to one rule; that was to keep his identity to himself. If anybody knew he was from the future then he would have the media chasing him around. Not good. But the main worry was keeping his secret hidden away from his friends and… father.

Gohan's scowl softened into a look of pure anguish. He then shoved his hands into his pockets and lowered his head.

"This is my entire fault…" he then muttered before leaning against the nearby wall of the stadium. "If I wasn't so foolish then I wouldn't be in this predicament." A sigh escaped his lips. "I'll find you Cell. You can bet on it!"

Pushing himself up from the wall, he ran into the area where the fights were being held. His new determined attitude forced a smirk onto his face as he ran past a few of the spectators, earning a few odd glances. But he didn't care. It was going to be hell of a day and he wasn't really looking forward to it. However on the other hand, he needed to keep a positive attitude and do what was right for Earth. The right thing was going be hard though. Cell could be anywhere in this different timeline, ready to jump out at him. Maybe he should have made the right choice by killing him when he had the chance, damn his stupid arrogance. His father had warned him and told him when the time was right, but his foolishness had killed Goku and all his hope. Nevertheless the biggest mistake was letting Cell take the time machine…

* * *

_**Cell games**__** (two days ago)… **_

Cell knew it; as soon as Vegeta fired that attack he was done for. His beady eyes swapped from the Kamehameha wave to the ki assault that the Saiyan had fired. Gohan's attack was wavering but he knew that any time now that the boy was going to receive a dramatic boost. The android didn't want to admit it but, well… he was practically dead. Unless… His eyes, once more, continued to dart between the two blasts. The only chance he had left was to act fast, faster than fast! When these pathetic earthlings spoke of hope he was sickened and disgusted, now he understood what the simple word meant.

Taking in fresh air, the monster shakily removed a hand from his own Kamehameha wave. His hand was still shuddering as he moved it upwards towards his head. Taking another glance, he noted that the beam Vegeta had fired was about to hit anytime soon. A frenzy of panic pushed him to move faster. Eventually, his two fingers were firmly placed on his forehead, that's when he smirked. The devious smile didn't last long, especially when the android vanished into nothingness.

From a safer distance, Cell watched the two large Kamehameha waves blend together and shoot into the direction of the stars. He then turned to Gohan and the others, who were shocked to say the least. He then knelt beside the fallen body of Trunks and reached into the young man's pocket. Pulling a small object free from the tight pocket, his smirk broadened.

"Yes," he whispered. "I have the time machine!"

"C-Cell!" a voice screamed out to him.

He then faced the nuisance and snickered. "If you still want to continue our little fight then I suggest you follow me. I hope to see you there soon." Just before flying off he spoke once more, "and Gohan, good luck finding me. You have two days before I blow up this puny planet."

"B-but, wait!" Gohan's pleading voice growled. "You could at least tell me-"

Cell released a chuckle deep within his throat. "If there is a tournament then I'll expect you there!" Then the monster took off, leaving the boy falling to the ground with exhaustion.

* * *

_**Present…**_

It was still blurry to the Gohan and he found it hard to remember the day. But one thing was certain; he needed to _kill_ Cell. Even with his father dead, Gohan knew that he had a lot to lose, especially that his father was in this timeline too. Perhaps this is what Trunks had felt like when he came from the future because of the androids. Perhaps he felt scared that he was going to lose everything again. Gohan didn't want that feeling, not again.

It was Bulma who suggested that someone should follow him through time, and, to his mother's dismay, he was there to volunteer. Vegeta had wanted to go after the tyrant but everyone thought it was a much better idea for Gohan to face him once more. Gohan was the strongest out of the remaining Z-fighters but he still doubted himself. Cell was a strong opponent after all, and he was sure that it was going to take a hell of a lot power to put him to rest.

The hybrid was still running towards the fighting area, he could tell he was getting closer because more and more fighters kept passing by him. His curved lips switched into the opposite when a scowl slid its way onto his face. He felt a bag of nerves and the closer he got to the arena the worse it became. Swallowing the lump at the back of his throat, Gohan sped up…

_It's now or never… _

* * *

_**Yesterday…**_

"So let me get this right," Gohan began before pointing over to a time machine identical to Trunk's. "First I take the time machine to a different timeline, following Cell who has gone back over twelve years ago."

"Yep," Bulma shrugged, wiping her oily hands on an old rag. "Then you have to keep a low profile, if you blow your cover then you could corrupt the universe!"

Gohan blinked.

"No pressure," she speedily added.

He blinked once more.

"Come here and give me a hug!" Bulma smiled and wrapped her arms around the boy gently; Gohan grinned and returned the gesture. "Please be careful Gohan. Your mother would kill me if anything happens to you."

"I'll be fine Bulma," he reassured her, "I promise. Besides, you gave me a communicator so I could chat with you guys. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

**A/N**

**Well, that's the prologue. I'm sorry if you're still confused, and if you have any questions feel free to ask. I'm going to say this now; if you have seen Dragonball then this will probably be more enjoyable. Personally, I can say that I love that anime. Db and Dbz are ten times better than Dbgt. Anyway I don't want to go on and on. But this will be set in the 23****rd**** Budokai (last tournament in Db)!**

**Danni (X-Danni-G-X)  
**


	2. Lottery

**A Hero's Time Warp**

* * *

**(A/N: Okay… this will be long, too long!) **

* * *

**Chapter 2… Lottery**

"Chiaotzu, disperse the numbers so we don't have to fight each other," Tien told his friend as they waited in the queue of fighters. Receiving a nod, he continued. "Place Piccolo in a different block; I want to see how he fights first."

Chiaotzu continued staring into nothingness before smiling. "Ok," he eventually telepathically said, moving closer to the number draw. He moved his hand upwards and zapped a nonexistent beam from his finger. The result of the technique wasn't noticed by Yamcha, who had chosen the fixed number Chiaotzu picked out for him. However it was going to be very effective in the future. The next to pick from the box was Goku, also accepting the number that was chosen out for him. Chiaotzu then picked a number for himself and the rest of his other friends, and of course the untrustworthy Piccolo. Admiring his handiwork, Chiaotzu watched on as his friends looked at the block chart.

"I'm number two," Goku proclaimed thoughtfully, still staring down at the piece of paper. He then looked back up at the table. "I'll be in the first match of block one!"

"I'm in block two, how about you Krillin?" Yamcha added, turning to his friend.

"The last half of block one."

"I'll be in the last half of block two," Tien informed them with a slight smirk.

"Oh wow!" Krillin gasped, "Chiaotzu isn't going to fight until the last half of block three! This is great!" He then turned and looked up at Goku, "none of us has to fight each other!"

Goku didn't reply. His eyes were distant and he was staring in a different direction. Krillin repeated himself but there was still no answer, so instead he waved a hand in front of his best friend's face. This only caused Goku to smack it away and walk off from the group, earning the others to follow worriedly. Still walking ahead, he managed to make his way up to a small figure who was also reading the block chart.

The figure looked up to see a pair of dark, curious eyes staring down at him. Startled, he backed off slowly. "Um… hello?" he then greeted weakly.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Goku said, leaning over so that they were at the same height. This caused the person to back away even more, bumping into one of the fighters still waiting to receive a number.

"I… I don't t-think so," he replied just as nervously, once recovering the previous snarls he noticed the fighter he had bumped into send him.

"You look really-" Goku leaned in even closer to him. "…_familiar_,"

"I d-don't remember meeting you... uh, before," he gulped.

"Hey Goku, if the kid says he doesn't know you then leave him alone. You're scaring him half to death." Krillin laughed, walking up beside him.

"But I swear I've seen him before…" Goku began to ponder, putting a finger to his lip. "I bet you've been on TV or something, haven't you?"

"Well, I-"

"Goku man, just leave it," Yamcha said, also making an appearance. Upon noticing something in the boy's hand, his eyebrows rose. There, loosely gripped between the child's fingers, was a small, white piece of paper. He released a flashed smile before kneeling down to the child's height. "Are you holding that for someone else?"

"What?" he questioned, looking down at the paper in his hand. "This? My number? No, um… Heh, I'm fighting!"

"Really?!" Yamcha gasped, "No kidding!"

"So what's your name? If we get the chance to fight I'd love to know what to call you." Goku grinned and scratched the back of his head in the same infamous fashion he was known for.

"It's Gooo –Cyber!" the young fighter said speedily, "yep that's… uh, C-y-b-e-r! Cyber!"

"Cy-ber?" Tien muttered in disbelief, "is that your real name?"

"Hey, what's wrong with it?!" he snapped, folding his arms. "It's a cool name!"

"Well it's nice to meet you Cyber!" Goku said quickly, changing the subject. He grinned once more and held his hand out, "I'm Goku!"

Wearily, Cyber looked down at the hand then back up to Goku. "Like wise… Goku."

He grasped hold of the hand and shook it, still staring at the man before him. Goku seemed to be eying him very closely, almost like he wasn't trustworthy or decent. Cyber just watched Goku's eyes burn into his own. Hate wasn't there, but it was certain that some sort of anxious emotion was present. Masking the uncomfortable aura, Goku lips curved upward into a broadened smile. He then pulled away before looking down at his hand. He then blinked as he continued glaring at his palm, but noticing the stares from his friends, he shook his hand out.

"You have quite a grip there," he chuckled.

Taken aback, Cyber laughed along. "Heh, the same goes for you. Anyway, I must be going. I'll, um see you later."

"Yeah, bye Cyber!"

The group watched as the boy walked off over to the other side of the room, just before some of the other fighters began trying to spook him out.

"Hey Goku, what was that about?" Yamcha growled. "Don't you think that was a little harsh? I mean, you were making Cyber feel absolutely terrified."

"Was I?" Goku asked, puzzled. "I didn't mean to come off as a bad guy or anything; do you think I should go apologize?"

"Na, leave it," Krillin said before walking away. "If he holds any grudges then you'll know about it in the ring!"

"Hey guys!" greeted a high pitched, squeaky voice. A bird, coloured a light purple flew over and landed on Yamcha's arm. Following him was a pig with a suit on and a pair of white bird wings.

"Puar, Oolong!"

"How's it going?" the cat asked.

"Well, one thing is for certain; you sure do get a lot of weird people around here!" Yamcha replied. "Actually, I think the competition looks a lot easier than the last tournament."

* * *

"Let the 23rd WMAT begin! With 73 fighters taking part only eight will advance to the next round!" This made chatter around the small stage become louder. So the announcer coughed, trying to gain their attention. "And good luck to every fighter out there!" 

"Okay, first off will be the matches of block one. Remember the rules of conduct; if you fall off the stage, pass out or surrender you lose. Kills are not permitted in this event. Violators will be expelled. No exceptions. Be careful, fight well." The small, over weight referee told the large audience of fighters. "At this time, will two and three come up to the stage."

"Alright that's me!" a man in an overly enthusiastic orange ki cheered.

Gohan turned his attention to the man climbing up onto the stage. His first impression he had made with his father was not a good one, and that was a definite. He sighed and rubbed his forehead skeptically.

"Cyber?" he muttered to himself questioningly, "what was I even thinking?"

The hybrid watched on as the first two fighters began their match. As Gohan recalled; his father's opponent was none other than king Chapa. Presently they seemed to be having a stare off, and Chapa was sweating like a pig under Goku's gaze. Gohan's interest perked up as he noticed Chapa slipping away into a nervous breakdown. Sure, he knew that his dad could be intimidating. But he never knew he could make a famous man crack into anxiety, and that was without even making a move!

From the wall he was standing by, he could also hear his father's friends discussing the match… or the lack of it. Tien was mentioning that he couldn't feel any emotions or problems from Goku, and suggested that Goku had a big chance of winning if Chapa continued to feel bullied by his stare. Krillin was mumbling under his breath some encouraging words towards the fight, but only for himself to hear.

Feeling a sudden burst of curiosity, Gohan pushed his way through the crowd of spectators and made his way to the stage. Just as Gohan managed to get to the front he span around, feeling a hand gripping his shoulder. Krillin…

"Hey there little buddy, you better be careful," Krillin warned, "by the looks of things it could get pretty rough. You don't want to get hurt before your match, do ya?"

The boy blinked, tilting his head.

Krillin smiled. "Actually, I was wondering what a kid like you would be doing here… You don't really seem like a fighter to me. Usually little kids like you are out playing games with their friends." he told him, beginning to lightly frown.

"I don't really have any friends my own age," Gohan confessed, slightly bowing his head. "But that doesn't mean I'm lonely or anything, I have lots of friends! But… well." Finding the best answer not being able to be described by words, he shrugged unenthusiastically.

"Well, who's here with you today?"

"I'm… well I'm on my own today but-"

"If you want you can stick with us. It's better than being on your own, plus you won't look so vulnerable. Many of the fighters here aren't all the friendly; they wouldn't give a second thought about beating on somebody wondering about all by themselves." The small fighter pointed out, scowling at the terrible thought. "Plus you seem a nice enough kid, so what ya say?"

Gohan bit back his tongue. He couldn't just say no to that offer, Krillin really seemed to care about his welfare, even if he didn't need to. But if he rejected the man then that was just being rude, and at this point he didn't need anymore enemies. He mentally sighed, cursing his emotional conscience. Knowing no other way to decline the offer, he weakly nodded his head.

"Sure…"

"Awesome then," he chirped, "by the way, I'm Krillin!"

"Uh, uh… it seems number three has fainted! Number two is the winner!" Both Gohan and Krillin turned their attention to the ring where the plump referee was standing. Next to him was Chapa's body lying on the ground. Goku was standing over his opponent with a sheepish expression, excepting positive comments being thrown at him.

"That's fantastic. Puar, let's go tell Bulma and the others." Oolong commanded, flying back in the same direction he had earlier arrived in. Puar followed after the pig out of the building, on her way to tell everyone the good news.

"Heh, Goku sure knows his fighting, but give him anything that requires IQ points; then your doomed." Krillin sniggered at his own joke as he watched his best friend, Gohan merely smiled.

Approaching his friends, Krillin spoke up; "hey guys, I hope ya don't mind but I've asked the kid to join us. He's on his own so I thought it'd be cool for him to have some company."

"Yeah, no sweat," Yamcha replied. Tien nodded and sent the blushing boy a smirk. "I was just thinking…" he began once more, "we probably haven't even seen Goku's full power."

"Yes," Tien agreed.

"Look, he doesn't even blink," Krillin pointed out cheerfully, still watching Goku pull a pose for the audience. As soon as Goku arrived back he received a high-five from his best friend, also including a lot of praise from the group.

Gohan was still plastering his face with that gleeful expression he was overusing. Remembering the first meeting with his father, he scowled. His dad was not a suspicious person, actually he was very naïve. So that obviously meant that there was something going on, and that this tournament was no ordinary tournament. The only reason he could see the man act like this was when he was either worried or suspecting something bad.

"Hey there little man." A familiar voice dragged Gohan away from his thoughts, causing him to step back in shock. He laughed, "That must be the second time today I startled you! Yeah, um I'm sorry about that, heh! Krillin just told me that you're going to be sticking with us for today, it sounds cool!"

Gohan nodded softly. "You're a great fighter. I don't think I could scare somebody by just staring at them. That was amazing!"

Goku laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "Don't push yourself down, Cyber. You'll never get anywhere if you keep thinking your bellow everyone!"

A few matches passed by. The first Gohan managed to watch was one he would never forget. He always remembered his mother scolding him about fighting and violence and her she was; competing in a tournament! Of course he never mentioned to Goku and the others that this "Anonymous" was his future mother. Anonymous was the name Chi-chi had adopted in the tournament, possibly to cover up something on a personal level. From his first glance at Chi-chi, he could tell it was her.

Krillin's match was rather uninteresting. The guy he did fight was huge though, huge was probably too small to describe this man. But in the end the monk won. A kick in the face guarantied his victory by knocking the over-sized fighter out. Also, it seemed that he wasn't the only fighter that won by a land slide. Before him was an odd looking man, he was rather big built and wore a mask. It took a while but Gohan realized that this secret competitor was none other than Yajirobe; a tubby man he first met when fighting against the Saiyans. He also recalled him to be a coward, but did come quite handy when the time was right. It surprised him that Yajirobe was quite a skilled fighter, he had always thought of him to be lazy and pretty well… useless.

"I keep wondering who that girl is," Goku said, pondering to himself. "Do you have any idea who she could be, Krillin?"

"Don't ask me!" He snapped, "You're the one that hasn't even taken this tournament seriously. I bet you've been busy with the ladies for the last three years!"

"I don't get it…"

"Argh, Goku!" the man growled, "don't you have any sort of clue about what goes on outside of your little fantasy world?"

"Will number nineteen and twenty of block two come up onto the stage," proclaimed the announcer, wiping away a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Well, that's me guys!" Yamcha said, stretching his legs. "Wish me luck!"

"Wait, that's you?" Gohan called out. The boy brought out his piece of paper and showed them a large, printed '20' in the centre. "That's me too!"

"Wow!" Goku gasped, "This should be interesting then. But it's a shame you guys couldn't fight in the final, but still, good luck to both of you!"

Yamcha turned around and made his way up to the stage, grinning like a mad man. "Yes," he muttered under his breath, "I finally get a break!"

Gohan followed closely behind, looking slightly nervous. He turned back around to see his father smiling at him with a thumbs-up. Feeling a bit more confident, he returned the gesture.

Finally, everything was ready to go. The people around the stage were waiting to watch, and the referee was standing well away from the two. Whilst Yamcha was still looking arrogant Gohan was glancing around the large room. He needed to see at least a glimpse of Cell. He was told to enter the tournament but then what? Did he want him to win or does he want him to lose by his father's hands? Just what the heck was the tyrant up to?

"Okay and… begin!" the referee said, eying both fighters.

The crowd continued the muttering amongst themselves as Goku ran closer to the stage, eager to see the fight.

"Good luck, Yamcha!" Gohan chirped from the other side of the ring.

"Same to you kid!" he replied just as merrily. "You're going to need it…"

Picking up speed, Yamcha made his way up to the boy. His fist risen up in the air and he released a battle yell. If he was trying to scare Gohan off it wasn't working too well. The boy just stood there, not even blinking. The elder out of the two continued to make their way up to Gohan, not pausing once. Until, suddenly, he stopped. Just for no reason, his fist was only a mere few inches away from the hybrid's face. Still, he didn't blink. Nope, he didn't even flinch, not once.

"W-why… Why didn't you try to move?!" Yamcha yelled out. "I was about to hit you in the face and you didn't do anything!"

"Why should I?" Gohan asked, still watching the fist in front of him. "You weren't going to hit me. My teacher once told me that you're either the attacker or the victim, and if you're willing to underestimate your opponent then…" He grasped hold of Yamcha's fist tightly, and to the man's great surprise; flung him over his shoulder. "You're the victim."

Yamcha landed on the ground, behind Gohan, with a large thud, shaking the whole stage. The sound echoed around the room, catching many of the fighter's attention. The human hissed out, obviously showing that he was in a great deal of pain. So shakily, he stood up. It looked rather funny on the other hand, as he was holding his back like an old man would, all he needed now was a walking stick.

"Heh, you're a lot stronger than I thought." He confessed, "I'm sorry I underestimated you."

Gohan grinned and folded his arms, eyes closed. "No problem!"

Now was his chance. Seeing no other opportunity like this, Yamcha jumped up and attempted to dive on the boy. Just as he was landing in a perfect position to perform his famous Wolf fang fist he smirked. Everything was going as planned. "Sorry kid!" Yamcha said, apologizing for the second time in the time period of two minutes. "But did your teacher ever teach you to never turn your back on your opponent?"

Two seconds before the attack, Gohan's eyes shot opened. Now with under a second to spare, he sidestepped. The now fearsome looking Yamcha was heading straight for the ground, but, since Gohan was such a nice guy, he would do the right thing. Instead of knocking the poor man out, he decided to kick Yamcha straight out of the ring. And that's what he did, causing the other fighter to go hurling into the wall.

Now standing in middle of the stage, Gohan scratched the back of his head with a sheepish expression. "Actually Yamcha, yes he did!"

"And number 20 is the winner!" the referee eventually called out. The spectators soon began to mutter comments about the fight, discussing the supernatural boy."

Gohan jumped off of the stage after accepting his victory. Eventually, he made his way over to Yamcha, who was lying in a pile of rubble. The man was coughing his lungs out, throat probably on fire. "You kn-know …what, Cy-ber?" He stuttered between the chokes, once noticing the boy sitting beside him, "You m-…must h-have one hell of a teacher."

The half breed laughed cheerfully, "Well at least you're ok!"

A couple of seconds later a new face joined the party. "Wow, you don't look too good, Yamcha!" Krillin said, pointing out the obvious. He then faced Gohan, who was looking just as concerned about the fallen fighter's welfare. "Y-you was awesome!"

Gohan blinked, he then raised his eyebrows. "Me?"

"No… the guy sitting in the rubble," Krillin said sarcastically.

Not catching on, the child agreed. "Yeah, he did really well. I would have done the same thing if I was in his position."

Krillin slapped his forehead. "Great," he mumbled, "just what we need, another person with an IQ lower than a sheep."

Gohan frowned sadly. "You did invite me," he pointed out. "And plus! My IQ is higher than 135, which is over the expected range for superior intelligence!"

"Ahuh…"

"Hey, I just called the medics." Goku said, running over. He held a hand out for Yamcha, who took hold of it gratefully. He then pulled his friend up and supported him. "That was great! Hey, Cyber, who taught you to fight like that? I heard you talking about this teacher, maybe I know him."

Gohan blushed before standing up and dusting himself down. "No, I don't think you will. Actually, I don't think you will do for some time yet. He likes his pr- priv…pri –priv pr-"

"Hey what's up, Cyber?"

The youngest of them shakily pointed over to a fighter standing over in the darkness. The main thing that stood out was his long, pointy ears and sharp teeth. He was also wearing a long, white cape and purple turban. Gulping, Gohan realized that this man, no this Namek, was wearing a replica to his own Gi. "W-who is that?"

"Do you know him?" Goku asked sharply, eyes narrowing.

"Ye- No… I, um no!" he eventually yelped. "Please, Da…Goku! Stop asking me all these questions!" Clutching his head, he breathed out. He then stared back up at the three fighters, who were watching him with a curious eye. "Sorry, it's been a real long week for me. I might seem a little cranky. Anyway where are Tien and Chiaotzu?"

"Good question," Krillin responded, scanning the room. "Hey is that them by the stage?"

"Oh, where?" Goku gasped, dropping Yamcha.

Ignoring the yells from their friend, the three ran off in the direction of the two other fighters.

"C'mon guys, you can't just leave me!" Yamcha shouted after them, "guys?"

* * *

**A/N: Personally, that was too long for me. I was considering splitting this into two chapters but decided against it, just because I'm feeling kind. I didn't really like this chapter actually, the vocabulary is too simple. Damn, I need to get better! Thanks for the reviews too. I'm actually really surprised that I got so many alerts off of one chapter. Anyway, I'll try and update ASAP. Hopefully that will be soon, but right now I have quite a bit of work. Anyway, laters.**

** Danni**


	3. The Final Eight

**A Hero's Time Warp **

* * *

**(A/N: ****Wow, been a while. Sorry about the L-O-N-G wait. I hope you enjoy the chapter and forgive my laziness.)**

* * *

**Chapter 3****… ****The final eight**

Twenty minutes earlier, when they arrived to where Tien was, by the ring, they had discovered that Chiaotzu had been seriously damaged. It was none other than mercenary Tao, a man that Gohan remembered oh so well. The troublesome fighter had knocked the tiny telepath out and was still was able to hand out threats, especially to Tien. Gohan had to walk away from the group before he did some incredibly stupid.

He had met Tao just before the Cell games. He was working for a wealthy crook, planning on tricking hundreds of people out of their money, homes and perhaps dignity. The name of that crook didn't come to the boy's mind though, but Tao was certainly a face that couldn't be forgotten. If Gohan remembered correctly, Tao was nothing more than a coward. A man with too many words for his liking. Tao had fled once discovering exactly who his father was. _Actually_, he panicked and quit his job, _then_ fled.

The final eight fighters had been chosen and he so happened to be one of them. Just previously he had been called over by the announcer; a man Gohan had seen present many tournaments. Presently; he was explaining the rules and what was going to happen, but it seemed nobody was paying much attention. Beside him was Krillin, grinning over in Goku's direction, who returned the gesture.

Beside his father was Hiro; a man that had got in on pure luck. His clumsiness was astoundingly abnormal, pushing even Goku's class of naiveté down the scale. Gohan _literally_ spat out his cola once seeing him beat Yajirobe. It… was… it was _amazing_. And to be honest, pretty damn weird. He didn't mind the fact that a normal person had made it through. In fact, it turned out to be much easier for him. And he just _hoped _that he would be able to fight him, it would be an easy win with no questions asked. Perfect.

In front of Hiro was none other than Son Ch –actually Mao Chi-chi, daughter of the Ox king. Damn, he had to remember to get those names right. Being in the past was tricky. Anyway, she was sending an unnoticed glare to her future husband, goodness only knows what she was thinking. It made Gohan want to crawl into a whole and die.

On opposite sides of the group were Tien and Tao. Tao held that dirty, cocky smirk that suited him so well, and Tien didn't like that one bit. The tri-clops was scowling a frown that sent shivers down Gohan's spine. In all honesty, he liked Tien. But he had never actually got to know the man properly. He wasn't one of the _best_ fighters back in their timeline, but in the here and now he seemed one _damn _intimidating warrior.

And last, but _certainly_ not least, was someone Gohan couldn't stop gawking at. A clue; he wore a turban, had a flowing, white cape and to top it off… he was green. And now, Gohan came to the conclusion that, this man was defiantly his teacher. But… he was different. Somehow, someway… _he was different. _And that was the thing; Gohan couldn't put his finger on it. Of course he knew about the fusion he had with Nail on Namek must of changed things but… this wasn't it. He felt... _evil_. And he always trusted his instincts, and they told him to be weary. But his heart told otherwise. He was so confused.

This couldn't be Piccolo… _Please _say that this wasn't Piccolo.

A voice then dragged him away from the shock. "Well, it's time to draw your numbers." The announcer eventually stated, waking everybody up from their thoughts, love and even revenge. A black box then was presented before them.

Everyone picked their numbers, leaving Gohan to ponder in curiosity. He was nuts to see everyone else's numbers, which was _so _unlike him. _He has__ brilliant patience and fantastic behavior for someone his age_, those words belonged to Bulma. She often praised him about his behavior actually, that was probably because she compared his to Trunk's. He grinned mischievously at the thought of the little baby. He sure was going to be a handful when he was older, a fact that couldn't be wavered. Just before he left to the past he remembered the boy whining from his mother's arms, outstretching his little arms to be held. He did hold the boy, but he regretted it. Two seconds later the child decided to upchuck onto the Saiyan armor Bulma provided for the journey. In the end he had to use a gi he made himself, in idolization of Piccolo of course.

When the announcer asked him for his number, he simply just passed his piece of paper to him and looked over at the board.

* * *

Match one: Tein Shinhan Vs Mercenary Tao

Match two: Cyber Vs Krillin

Match three: Hiro Vs Junior

Match four: Goku Vs Anonymous

* * *

Gohan looked at the four matches with interest. He had a feeling that he knew who the winners were going to be. Yet, he was unsure about the first fight. That was most likely because he didn't know what their styles were like in this timeline. He was a little worried about his own match; although he wasn't fazed about Krillin being stronger. In fact, he hoped Krillin had enough power to pack a punch at least once. Hiro and Junior's match was going to be a comedy. _Just look_ who he was fighting… And then there were his parents. He actually wondered who would come out on top, and it wouldn't surprise him if it was indeed his mother. This _did _worry him!

"Hey there!" He turned at the sound of Krillin's voice, a joyful smile creeping onto his face. "We're fighting in match two, pretty cool, eh?"

"Yep," Gohan agreed. "I'm looking forward to it."

_Cyber seems to be much calmer, that's probably because he has settled into our little group. _Krillin noted. _I wonder how he reacts to Bulma and the others…_

"So Cyber, how about you come and meet our other friends?" the older fighter offered, beaming a toothy smile. He didn't notice the boy's left eye beginning to twitch.

But he did notice him freeze up.

"You alright there, buddy?"

It took a moment but he did come to his senses. "Yes thank you, I'm fine."

* * *

Now, after the second mind shock, both he and Krillin were walking down a path. The path held many shops, stalls and even fair games; like ring toss or even hook a duck. Many of the stall owners were shouting out to them to either buy something or play a fixed game. He remembered what his mother had told him about those conmen. _They are crooks, _she had begun. _Nothing more than thieves that want to take you for everything you've got__. Stay away from then, Gohan. Do you hear me? Stay away from them!_

Krillin seemed to ignore the people too, dragging him by his gi top. "You know, Cyber. You get some real dodgy guys around here. It's best that you stick with us, if not, you could get in a lot of trouble."

_To be frank, I think it's worse with me actually being with _you _guys._ Gohan thought, frowning. _MAN! Bulma's going to kill me. She had warned him to stay away me to stay away from people we know! Eek! _

"There they are!" Krillin pointed out, running towards them, stilling pulling him by like a dog on a lead. Near a big, beautiful fountain was a small crowd of people talking away, still not noticing them.

Just as Gohan feared, Krillin's friends consisted of the very same gang that he hangs around with back home, minus and addition of people to the group. Everyone was there, except Chiaotzu, but that was understandable. He was probably in hospital healing up; he deserved all the rest he could get. Tien and Goku were there, puffing out their chests. They were both extremely happy about making it to the final eight, who could blame them? Tien did look a little concerned though, probably about Tao. That wasn't a shock to the system, unlike everything else today.

Upon noticing his best friend and son, Goku turned and grinned at them. "Hey!"

Krillin replied with an enthusiastic wave whilst Gohan merely smiled shyly.

"Who's the lil' runt?" asked the female blonde in a deep, rough voice. If his memories served correctly then this happened to be Launch. She was the one that changed personalities when she coughed –no sneezed! That was it. If he was to give himself any advice now, it was not to look her in the eyes. He had heard beasts didn't like that. So why should she?

But on another note, there was one thing he had just promised to himself. He was not, and he repeated, was _not _going to blush. His mother always yelled at him for being too quiet and shy. She had told him; _you __needed to be more proud of __yourse__lf__ and should stand up for __yourself__ –unless __it's to me!_

His eyes only met with the ground and nothing more.

"This is Cyber," Goku then said, moving over to stand beside the half breed. "Hey beat Yamcha!"

"No way!" Bulma called out. "Are you telling me a little kid happened to beat my boyfr- Yamcha!?"

"No wonder he left to get a hotdog with his tail between his legs!" Master Roshi laughed. Or more like cackled. This resolved in a smack around the head, courtesy of Bulma.

"You should watch what you're saying, bud!" she then warned.

"Yeah!" Puar agreed in her usual high toned voice.

Finding nothing but stupidity in this, Oolong decided to comment. "Chicks…" he then muttered.

"What was that?!" Bulma growled once more, watching the pig cower in fear.

"Aw come on guys. I think you're scaring him!" Krillin then said, pointing to Gohan.

Bulma's expression softened as she walked over to the child and knelt over slightly. "Well aren't you a cutie?" She then laughed as she ruffled his hair. "How could a kid like you fight in a tournament like this? And beat my Yamcha! When you're older I bet you're going to be a hit with the ladies!"

That _was _it! He couldn't take it anymore. Slowly, yet effectively he felt heat rise to his cheeks. And his eyes were now stuck to the ground like cement.

She laughed the moment she sure the redness on his cheeks. "A shy one, eh?"

"Aw, C'mon don't be so mean!" Krillin then said. Goku, Tien and all the others just laughed along, whilst Gohan smiled that little, uncomfortable smile he used in situations like these.

"What?" she questioned. "I'm being honest!" She laughed again as she turned back to Gohan. "Relax, we're joking with you! Gee, you don't get out much do you?"

"Fighters don't tend to 'get out much', Bulma!" the old hermit said, "We have to work out and impress the _ladies_!"

"You would, you dirty old man!"

Gohan backed away from the two slightly, nearing the fountain. It was soon that he heard them shout out his name, and from the corner from his eye, hold out their hands. It was then and there, that he wished he had taken his eyes away from the ground and looked where he was going. Then…

**Splash!!**

On cue everybody burst out laughing, even Gohan himself! His legs hung over the side of the fountain whist his hands supported his body. He was soaked from his legs upwards but he hadn't looked happier, something every last one of them picked up on. Fish swam round the boy while they all shared the moment chuckling away.

Even if he felt embarrassed, _heck_, he hadn't been this embarrassed _ever_, he still felt this warm feeling. A feeling that always occurred when he was around people he loved. He hadn't felt this in a _long _time, not since the passing of his father.

He was _happy_.

_Very_ happy.

And he didn't want the feeling to go.

_Please don't let it go…_

* * *

_**Hmm, I don't know if I like this one... **_

_**Well anyway, that's a chapter! The matches for the tournament changed because… well, Gohan messed it up basically. Well… Yay! I updated… been long enough though. I'll try and update faster next time. Thanks for the reviews/alerts/favorites too, they are so appreciated! And if I haven't replied to reviews then I'm sorry. Oh... and happy new year! **_

_**Danni**_


	4. Now The Enemy

**A Hero's Time Warp**

* * *

**Chapter 4… Now the enemy**

* * *

Gohan sat down in the café and released a sigh of relief. His aching legs no longer complained! Goku, who sat down on a chair opposite, seemed to show the same reaction. Bulma and Launch sat together at the end of the table, whilst Krillin, Master Roshi, Oolong, Yamcha and Tien took their seats nearer the centre of the eight-table.

"It's a lucky thing you had spare clothes in that backpack of yours, or you'd still be dripping wet!" The old master chuckled, aiming his comment at Gohan, who just nodded. "Although that gi looks an awful lot like another fighter's I've seen around."

"The same tailor, perhaps?" the young half breed said, scratching the back off his head nervously.

"Oh my god!" Yamcha blurted out. "You too?! Me, Goku and Krillin all went to see the same guy. Shameful really. Was his name Buck? If it was; I suggest we sue his ass off! That's poor customer service, you know!"

Gohan laughed and shook his head. "Na, I think it'll be ok…"

"No, c'mon kid! We got'ta fight 'em! And with your kickass power we will win!"

"Oh knock it off, Yamcha," Krillin said sternly. He smirked. "And besides, you'll be asking for my help when I beat Cyber into the ground!"

"I wouldn't count on that," Goku replied. "I think you've got more than you've bargained for, Krillin!"

"Yeah, I mean, if Cyber can beat Yamcha, who is obviously better than you, why can't he pummel you into the dirt?" Bulma added.

"Stop it, you guys!" The hybrid tittered. "We'll just have to see who wins in the match, ok?"

"Ooh! Aren't we feeling modest?"

"Listen, I just don't think that-" before Gohan could continue he felt something in his gi pocket start to vibrate violently. He pulled the object out to discover it was none other than the communicator which Bulma from his timeline had provided. Bulma was ringing him! Ah crap! "I- er… One sec! Be right back!" With that he ran off and out of the café to the alley behind, leaving the others to just watch him in pure confusion.

Accepting the call, he pressed the big red button in the corner of the small machine. In the centre was a small screen, which Bulma suddenly appeared on. She sure didn't look happy.

"I've been trying to call you for the last hour!" She snapped from the video call.

"I'm sorry!" he meekly apologized. "Man, you don't know what's happened! It's all gone nuts and I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown!"

Her stern stare softened. "Well at least you're feeling a whole lot crummier than I am."

"Gee, thanks a bunch."

"So, where are ya?"

"23rd Budokai…"

"What?! Gohan! Do you know what could possibly happen?! I'm there, Krillin's there and your dad's there! Do you have no common sense? Come back and I'll send Trunks or Vegeta! Quick, before they discover anything fishy!" Bulma began to panic, waving her hands all over the place.

"Aheh, Well, I think that's a little late. I'm kind of… er, hanging around with them…"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

Puar glided around the area, looking for the café she was supposed to meet Yamcha and the others in. She turned a corner to see many restaurants and sighed. Any of these could be where Yamcha was. But just before she was about to lose all hope in finding her friends, she noticed that behind the nearest café was that young boy that Krillin and Goku met. He was called Cyber, right? She grinned and floated over to Cyber, about to ask him about the whereabouts of the others, until she heard something rather strange…

"Argh! This is so weird!"She had heard Cyber say into some device in his hands.

"I don't care how 'weird' it is, plus it's your own fault! Just kill him and come back!" said a female voice, somewhat familiar to the floating cat.

"But he's so strong…"

"Just kill him, kid." She said bluntly. Her voice sparked up. "Oh yeah, have you seen Piccolo?"

But his voice became dull. "Yeah…"

"Don't feel bad, and now you can beat him up, instead of the other way round!"

Shocked, Cyber gasped. "What?! No way, I'd never want to hurt Piccolo!"

She laughed. "Anyway I need to go now, but get out and away from that place as soon as possible. Oh yeah, while you're there give Yamcha a kick in the balls for me. Toodles!"

"Uh, bye?"

* * *

"So you're fighting this anonymous?" Bulma questioned.

Goku nodded, and then shrugged. "I don't know who she is though. Argh! It's so annoying not to know something. She says that she knows me, but I don't know her!"

"Women…" Krillin groaned, "I mean, one minute they're all over you and then the next… well, they're slapping you across the face!"

"No, that's just you." Bulma laughed, taking a sip from her coffee. "Well, except you have no women all over you."

Everybody started to laugh until a certain floating, blue cat burst in through the doors. Puar glided over to Yamcha and began speaking far too fast for the human ear to understand. "Yamcha! Yamcha! Oh my! Y-y'know that k-kid!-" She ranted on and on, making no sense whatsoever. Until…

"WHOA! PUAR!!" surprisingly enough this came from Goku. Puar halted immediately, taken aback from the Saiyan's sudden outburst. "Now explain everything _slowly_…"

The flying cat took in a deep breath and began once again; "That boy; Cyber, is a big problem! Big, big problem! He wants to kill you Goku! He's on Piccolo's side, he even said so himself! I saw him talking into some strange device before telling the strange person that-"

"Man, Puar! That little kid?" The old hermit released his infamous cackle. "Goku is a powerful warrior now, a little boy like Cyber can't possibly defeat him. However powerful that child is he is still no match for Goku. Yamcha isn't exactly the strongest person around, is he?"

"-Hey!"

"No really!" Puar exclaimed, panicking. "You don't understand! I heard him with my own ears, please you gotta' trust me!"

"And he can't be working for Piccolo because he's dead. Isn't he?"

Everybody looked at one another and shared worried glances.

But then, Goku decided to take the felines attention and gazed at her with a concerned expression. "Are you sure, Puar? Are you a hundred and ten percent sure?"

"Yes!"

The Saiyan sighed, and then turned to the others. "Well, it seems we have a problem."

"No way!" Everybody Stared at Krillin with the sudden outburst. "C'mon Goku, he's just an average kid. Well, an average abnormally strong kid. But it's still all the same."

"I know, but we've only known him for a day," he replied. "Let's just be weary, okay?"

"I think Puar has a point," Master Roshi said suddenly. "I said earlier that I've seen his gi before, and I remember where. That Junior guy has the exact same one, except for that symbol of his."

"Hey, you don't think that Junior guy is related to King Piccolo, do you?" asked Krillin.

At the same moment in time Tien stared at Goku, who nodded in response. The tri-clops took in a deep breath before releasing a long, heavy sigh. "I think me and Goku need to you guys something…"

"Yeah," Goku agreed reluctantly. "It's about Junior, well, he's like the son of King Piccolo."

"What?!" This came from everybody around the table.

"S-so, he's not dead?!" Bulma squeaked.

Goku shook his head darkly.

"So, if Cyber and Junior are working together…"

"Yeah, there's the problem. I'm sure I can handle Junior, well kind of, but I can't take both on." He glumly glared at the ground, everyone watching on in hope of an idea. "Argh! They're both _so_strong!"

Just at that moment in time, Gohan decided to walk back into the café. He took his seat and stared up at them, confused with their sudden sorrow. "Hey, what's up?" he then asked in curiosity, tilting his head to the side. He then smiled warmly at the group. "I'm sure you can tell me."

"We know who you are!" Tien suddenly yelled at him. He prodded a finger into the young fighter's chest, once standing up. The chair he was once sat one fell the ground with a clatter.

Gohan paled, turning as white as a sheet. "I… I-I… I, I-"

Tien wore his smug smile as a trophy, happy with his victory. "You were waiting for the right time to take him out, weren't you? But first you just had to find him, win the tournament and take the prize money, and once you've done that; kill him, just like you were told."

A woozy sensation overtook the hybrid, but he held onto his consciousness with a tight grip. In a quiet whisper, Gohan spoke once more. "How did you find out?"

"It's kind of obvious." Tien glowed with pride, before hearing Puar cough forcedly. "Oh, and Puar heard you talking with your little friend."

Krillin glared at the boy with hateful gaze. "Man, how could you do something like that?" He then leant over the table, the scornful expression still intact. "Why didn't you just kill him when you had the chance, instead of using us to get to him?"

"Wha-!" Gohan felt something in his throat beginning to surface, seeing flashes of the Cell games come back to him. The horrid memory of those miniature Cells attacking his friends was still fresh in his mind. "B-but I didn't want it to happen like it did, I swear!"

"Save it for the ring!" Tien snapped. He and the rest of the group left the café, most still burning with rage. But there was that split second where his father did turn around, but not with a look of hatred, but with a look of angst. But just as speedily, he turned back around and followed the others.

"B-but, h-how…?" Gohan asked himself, hot and salty tears wanting to fall down his ceeks. "They... couldn't possibly know. Unless… unless Cell told them!" It was all becoming clear now. He then whispered a promise under his breath. "I'll get him, I swear it…"

* * *

**Well, heheh, been a while once again. But I got it out. I'm trying to update pretty fast at the moment seeing its half term. I'm kind of busy at the moment but I never leave anything incomplete. I think I'm losing interest in this story especially though. I'm finding it hard to write but it's pretty popular so I'll get it done. I don't think I like this chapter either. It's kind of random, but I want a little uhhh, what's the word, I want a little mmm… Well I want arguments and stuff. And thanks for all the reviews, oh yeah, and if there any spelling or grammar mistakes just tell me and I'll change em ASAP. Anyway, toodles!  
**


	5. Damn Guards

**A Hero's Time Warp**

* * *

**Chapter 5… Damn guards**

* * *

He wanted to cry. Actually, scratch that; he _was_ crying! Not overly hard, but still, tears slid down his cheeks as his face rested in his hands. Presently, he was sat on the toilet (lid down!) in a cubicle, thinking about the previous occurrence. The young fighter was certainly not a cry baby, well, not since Piccolo trained him. In addition, he needed to sort things out with the gang, unless he wanted serious problems to arise.

Well, it's a bit too late for that.

But still, he needed to talk to them.

Gohan took a deep breath and left the toilets, making sure he lost all the redness in his eyes. The Half breed thought he was doing so well about getting over the Cell games, but every time someone brought up the occasion; it made him flood the area with his tears. But moving on, he left the restroom area and made his way up to the fighting stage, just about to meet with another bump in the road.

He soon noticed the guards blocking the lounge where the fighters rest and frowned. He sure didn't like the way they were looking at him, it was best to just confront them.

"Hey mister," Gohan said, aiming his best 'tough voice' towards one of the guards. "Why do you keep glaring at me?"

"All you little punks are the same, just wanting to cause havoc!" the biggest of the two replied, unfolding his arms and standing over Gohan in a threatening manner. "If you want to get past me you have to be in the final 8, and a scrawny brat like you couldn't even lift a feather. Beat it."

Gohan blinked,

… And blinked again.

"Oooooooooh! Phew then!" Gohan sighed enthusiastically, wiping away fake sweat from his forehead. In addition he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, heh! Man, you got me worried then, ya know? I thought you were androids or something, pretty stupid, huh?"

"Are you trying to be funny, kid? Maybe some kind of joke? I don't like comedians."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry but I don't tell jokes. Not good ones anyway. But there was this one Krillin told me and then I told it my mother! But then… she grounded me. She said that I should never repeat that unless I wanted my mouth washed out with soap and not feed me for a week. But by then I think I would grown to like the taste of soap, so it wouldn't matter. But after all that I wouldn't have learned my lesson and then would have grown up to be an evil villain addicted to soap because nobody could ever punish me. However-"

But before Gohan could finish his explanation the other guard had grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. "Don't you ever shut up?!"

"-Sorry-"

"Zip it!" The guard then turned to his co-worker. "Shall we toss him in the cells, eh Frank? Scare him a little bit?"

"Yeah," he snickered. "Hey Gazza, we'll throw away the key too!"

"Hey! That's not fair! I didn't do anything. Besides, I'm underage so it's illegal for you guys to throw me in jail. Oh yeah, I know my stuff!" Gohan smirked at the guard's expression and shuffled his way out his grasp. "Anyway, they'd kill you for not letting me participate in the tournament! I'm late. Please guys, you gotta' let me through! My name is Go—Cyber and I'm a participant, c'mon!"

"Oh really?" Frank ridiculed. "Do you have any ID?"

"I'm eleven, I don't carry ID…"

"So what can you show us then?" Gazza laughed, folding his arms back over his chest. "I know! Maybe you can show me your dolly!"

"Are you mocking me?" the child innocently inquired.

"Wow, the little tyke is catching on!"

"_And wow! The first match has finished! After that uh… amazingly dangerous performance by Tien Shinhan and Mercenary Tao we have two great fighters lined up for the next fight!" _Gohan swiftly turned his head in the direction where announcer declared the end of the fight. _"Next we have Krillin, who is no stranger to the ring and has certainly impressed us! Facing him is Cyber, new to the tournament and is the youngest fighter who has entered this year, even rivaling the age of which Goku entered many years ago! So fighters, please come to the stage!"_

"Please!" Gohan begged them, frustration clearly showing. "If you don't let me through I'm going to get disqualified!"

"Hey," Gazza began, turning to his middle-aged friend. "Didn't the kid say his name is Cyber?"

"Humph!" Frank scoffed. "Don't believe anything those punks have to say! They just lie, cheat and swindle ya!"

"But really, he said his name is Cyber before the announcer even said it!"

"Didn't you just hear what I said? They just lie, chea-"

"No," Gazza interrupted. "That's just you. It's not the world's problem that you can't control those bratty children of yours."

"BRATTY?" the other body guard gasped. "This is coming from someone that can't even get a date, never mind have kids!"

As they continued arguing they never seemed to notice Gohan sneaking past them and on his way to the stage…

* * *

"If Cyber does not arrive within the next five seconds then I will to disqualify him!" the announcer proclaimed to the crowd, who was talking amongst themselves about the disappearance of the young boy.

"5"

Bulma, who was also among the crowds of people, glanced around the area with narrow eyes, as did Master Roshi. However, because Launch had recently sneezed, she was back to the blue hair-colored, mellow girl and just waited patiently.

"Where do you think he is?" Bulma asked nobody in particular.

But nevertheless, the old hermit found it fit to answer the question. "I don't know. Perhaps he has hidden under the rock in which he had come from." He then frowned and rubbed his chin, drifting into thought. _Yet there is more to that young boy than it seems…_

"4"

"3"

"I betcha' I scared him away!" Krillin boasted, turning to Goku.

"Sorry Krillin, I don't think so!" His best friends then pointed a finger over to the other side of the stage, where "Cyber" was on his way up.

"…Damn…"

"2"

"Hey! Hey! I'm here!" Gohan panted, still running up the steps. "I'm sorry; the guards wouldn't let me past."

At this, everybody in the crowds began to laugh, making Gohan blush in embarrassment.

"Okay," the announcer said, nodding his head. His eyes then became sharp. "But don't make a habit of it!"

"Heh, heh! Right, sure!"

He then turned in the direction in where Krillin was standing, who was sending him a glare which sent shivers down his spine. The young hybrid swallowed the lump at the back of his throat before turning to his father, or well… future father. In spite of the determined stare which was held within his features, he didn't seem to have an overall hatred for the young boy.

This actually made Gohan smile genuinely, which surprised Goku greatly. But for some odd reason, unknown by both of them, Goku returned the smile.

"You may begin in… 3… 2… 1… Go!!"

The announcer seemed to catch Gohan off, making the boy jump when the match begun. Yet, the thing that made Gohan _really _jump was when Krillin appeared from behind him, instantly landing a punch in the child's back. This caused Gohan to fall the floor, skidding across the tiles rather speedily. When he eventually halted, he stood up and faced Krillin. Slowly and steadily, he brought up his hand and wiped his mouth to find a droplet of blood running down his chin.

Krillin merely smirked.

"Wow!" Gohan commented, stunning the crowd. "Man, I didn't know you pack a punch as decent as that one!"

Suddenly, the bald fighter sweat dropped.

"What?!" Krillin gawked at the boy. "You mean that didn't hurt?!"

"Well, kind of… Okay, maybe a little!"

"Argh!" Pulling up his fist, he began to charge at the young Saiyan, much like Yamcha had. The monk ran and ran, but unlike Yamcha, didn't stop. However, he was amazed when he reached Gohan that there was nothing there. Turning around viciously, he couldn't seem to spot the boy. But when he heard the crowd laughing, he knew something was up. Krillin then turned to Goku, to see the young man in fits of laughter himself.

"Heh! Look again!" he eventually heard. He recognized the voice which belonged to his young opponent. Once again, Krillin began looking around, still seeing nothing. But he did manage to see his friends in the crowds trying to stifle their giggles and chuckles.

"ARGH!!"

"One more time! Now look _above _you!"

Krillin did as he was told to find a surprise. Right above him, actually standing _on _him, was Cyber! But when he went to grabs the eleven-year old's foot, Gohan disappeared.

The laughter in the crowds died down and the tension within the fight soon returned.

Standing before Krillin, Gohan scowled seriously, as he did in every battle; serious or just for fun. But soon, he felt something hot… and painful, _very _painful; hit him with a great force. He gasped, as did the crowd, and clutched onto his stomach, kneeling down and into a ball. He heard the announcer call off the match, and running over to assist him.

Obviously, this wasn't of Krillin's doing.

Speaking of the devil, he was just standing over him.

"Do you know what happened, Cyber? Are you okay?" The announcer asked. "Are you able to fight?"

_Ack, too many questions! _Gohan thought, still gasping. "I… I should –should be o-okay."

The announcer seemed to ignore what Gohan had just said and called out to the audience that the match was cancelled.

"Hey, what about the match?" Krillin asked sharply, turning to the announcer.

"Just count yourself lucky you're not going to jail," he whispered in return threateningly. He then turned to the crowd. "I'm just going to speak to the judges, be right back folks!"

Gohan sat up properly, still rather dizzy from the sudden mystery attack. But nonetheless, he wasn't alone for long. Looking right, he was shocked to say the least to see his father walking up to him. But Goku held a small, yet warm, smile.

"Are you ok?" the man asked gently.

The hybrid couldn't help but ask his next question. "But… I thought you hated me?"

He shrugged, kneeling down beside him. "I'm cautious of you; very cautious in fact, and you're scarily strong. Plus I've never met you or know where you're from and who trained you- hey, where am I going with this?"

The child laughed, looking up at the amused fighter. "But apparently I'm meant to kill you…"

"Ok, if I see you coming at me with a knife then I think we'll have a problem. But until then, you don't seem like a threat."

"What about Puar?"

"I've always been a dog person. Shh! don't tell her that though!"

Both laughed this time and Goku rubbed the boy's hair affectionately. Then the eldest of the two spoke once more; "I do expect you to explain a few things first though, okay?"

Gohan's voice became horse and he bowed his head shamefully. "I can't…"

"Not even a few tiny, itsie-bitsie things?" He then asked with a playful grin, helping Gohan up.

Gohan shook his head, accepting the man's hand and being pulled up.

Disappointed, Goku nodded his head. "Okay… but when you want to; I'll be right over there, 'kay?" With that, Goku walked away with Krillin, leaving Gohan on the stage.

Looking down at his stomach, where a hole had burnt through his Gi, he scowled. This seemed to be the work of a particular android…

* * *

…**I live!! Thanks for all reviews/alerts/favorites ect. Actually, I seemed to enjoy writing this chapter, even if I should be in bed for my exams in the morning.** **Oh well! Well, I hope you guys had a yummy Easter and I'm sorry about the delay and any spelling errors in this chapter. I was kind of concerned about the Gohan/Goku relationship in this chapter and I think maybe Goku is OOC nearer the end. But then I thought; Goku is OOC in the last tournament because he is concerned with Piccolo and whatnot. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter! X! Danni**


	6. Krillin and Tien's talk

* * *

**A Hero's Time Warp**

* * *

**Well, this is a rather short chapter. I did it pretty speedily too. I made it as like a filler sort of thing, so it isn't really the most important chapter ever. Anyway, I'm sorry for any mistakes and please tell me if you see any. Thanks and, uh, well, enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 6… Krillin and Tien's talk**

Gohan could tell you a little something about angst and he could also tell you what helps make you feel better when you're down. And that would be; ice-cream. Also, he was the sort of boy to take his own advice. So there he was, sitting on the high wall beside the fighting stage, eating vanilla ice-cream and waiting for the next match to begin.

_It sure was nice of that man at the ice-cream truck to give me this free ice-cream! _Gohan thought, licking his lips free of the strawberry sauce which topped his snack. His main focus was actually on the delicacy instead of the fight which was soon to occur.

Heck, his mind wasn't even on Cell.

* * *

Krillin turned to his friend and sighed, making sure that the young boy couldn't hear. "Hey Tien, have you seen that kid? It looks like he has no care in the world. Ya know what?" he then scowled and folded his arms, making sure his back was towards Gohan. "It really bugs me that he can be so happy in knowing what wrong he is going to commit!" Punching the air, he snarled. "Argh, why is he acting so childish?"

Tien continued to stare into the nothingness of the world, still wearing the emotionless gaze he often used. Chuckling deeply, he responded. "Perhaps it's because he _is _a child."

Silence.

"Well thank you, captain obvious! Besides, evil has no age."

"Don't concern yourself with the boy, Krillin. He simply isn't worth it. The main problem is Junior and what problems could arise with him." Krillin just stared, a frown edging its way onto his face. Tien, upon noticing, looked down with a serious expression. "He is a mere boy, Krillin."

"Goku was a mere boy."

"Goku was special…"

"And he isn't?!" Krillin exclaimed, pointing towards Gohan, who was still eating his dessert. "Tien, that kid knocked Yamcha out of the ring like it was nothing! Then he fought me and took it as a joke! Even Goku is a little concerned with Cyber. Don't you see him always watching the boy?"

"But Goku doesn't seem too worried about him," Tien then pointed out.

"You know what Goku's like! He would never want to worry us, but he can't help but watch Cyber like a hawk. Man, Tien, I thought you would've noticed." He then glared at Tien with an irritated gaze. However soon, Krillin sighed and rubbed his temples, before turning towards his friend properly and looking at the man dead in the eyes. "I'm sorry Tien… I guess I'm just so worried about the tournament. I mean, I don't want to be disqualified for that thing that attacked Cyber. For once I'd like to win the tournament and be the big hero, ya know? Everyone loves Goku 'cause he's the lovable hero, Yamcha's the ladies man, Chiaotzu is physic and can do some awesome stuff and you've already won a tournament, I just want my time to shine."

His friend lightly smiled. "Everyone has their time to shine; you needn't worry if you get disqualified. We would think the same of you, Krillin."

"And that's exactly the point," looking down, he sighed once more. "Everyone thinks I'm that dopey, occasionally funny, Krillin. But I just want to win for once."

"I see…" Tien stared away for a brief moment. He then turned back to his small friend and gave him the best piece of advice he could give. "Winning never comes easy. You have to fight, fight and fight just to get a fraction of what you want. But sometimes, you need to accept that perhaps some people are tougher than you and move on. There are other things which you are better at than other people, but you just have to discover those things."

Krillin nodded. "I guess you're right." A devious smirk then introduced itself onto his face. "So, did you make that advice up when you thought about Goku."

"What?"

"C'mon, we both know you can't take him on."

"Goku isn't some kind of god, you know. Yeah, he saved your life, but you still need to know he isn't invincible." Tien growled, glancing over in the direction in which Goku was standing. "Someday I'll beat him…"

"But first you have to beat Cyber," Krillin then informed him.

"Oh, so we're returning back to the subject of our mystery boy?" Tien inquired, although he knew the answer. He folded his arms and smirked. "Sure, the kid can pack a punch. But everyone slips up sometime, and as they say; everyone is as good as they're weakest spot."

"Unless, they can protect that spot." Krillin added casually, "plus, you need to find that weakest spot."

"Figured that out already," he replied, supplying Krillin with interest.

"Oh?"

"Now it's you that isn't noticing things."

"C'mon, you can tell your old bud? Can't ya?" A cheesy grin was then presented on the small fighter's face.

He smirked once more. "His identity is most precious to him."

"Yeah… and?"

"The problem is that the kid keeps slipping up with his words. Didn't you notice all the times he went to say something and then suddenly stopped? For example, some guys asked Cyber's name at the registry and then he said something that was totally random, and then changed it hoping nobody noticed." He paused. "But I did."

"What'd he say anyway?" Krillin asked, eyebrows raised.

"Go-something. I'm not too sure though, he said it pretty fast."

"That's odd…" Krillin concluded.

"Exactly." He agreed, staring out into the crowds.

"Yet, you're not cautious of him?" he then said with a puzzled tone.

"I don't let it effect me. When I fight him, it's going to be like any other fight I've had." Tien answered, nodding his head and folding his arms once again.

"We'll see. I had the same attitude before I fought the kid. Yamcha had warned me too, but I thought it was going to be alright and an easy fight. Let's just say this; he's fast." He leaned in closer to his friend for emphasis. "Very fast."

"Thanks for the heads up, Krillin. But I'll be fine. Beating him is one step closer to fighting Goku."

* * *

"Mmm…" Gohan licked his lips for the millionth time, still not wanting to waste any of that precious strawberry sauce. "Mmm…" he then repeated, this time a little more desperately once noticing his snack had completely vanished. Sometimes, instead of eating his food, he inhaled it.

"Still… so hungry…" the child spoke to himself. His stomach soon agreed with him as it replied with a loud, snarling rumble.

However, his food rant was cut short as he noticed the oh so famous announcer heading his way. Standing up straight, he greeted the man with a quick wave. The man merely nodded with a flashed smile.

"Hey there, sir!" Gohan said in his usual enthusiastic tone.

"Hello Cyber, are you feeling any better from earlier?" he asked, his deep voice holding a little concern. He smiled amusingly. "I see that Ice-cream seemed to make you feel all that so much better!"

"Yes, thank you. But if I may ask, sir, what's going to happen with the fight Krillin and I had? Has it been cancelled or something?"

"Actually," the announcer began; kneeling down to Gohan's rather short height. "I came to inform you that the attack came from out of the ring."

"Yes, I know." Gohan then informed him, nodding. "It came from the north of the crowd."

"Yes," he agreed. "But we suspect that Mr. Krillin had something to do with the arrangement of the brutal attack."

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Krillin had nothing to do with the attack, sir!"

"Do you know who attacked you?"

Ah, the question of truth. Gohan didn't know whether to answer this truthfully or not. But he had to answer soon; the guy was looking at him like it was his fault or something!

"Well," Gohan began, scratching the back of his head nervously. "There are quite a handful of people who might attack me."

"Really?" he questioned, genuinely shocked. "And you're such a young boy!"

"Please," the child pleaded him. "Don't kick Krillin out of the tournament! If anybody, please, kick me out."

Stunned, the announcer just stood there silently. "Well, that's different…" he eventually commented. "However, due to what the judges have decided, we will have to remove Krillin from the tournament. I'm sorry, Cyber. It's out of my hands."

"B-b-but… No wait!"

In spite of Gohan's pleads, his calls fell upon deaf ears…

* * *

**Well, I'll try and update ASAP. Actually, that was much faster than the previous update. Perhaps I'm speeding up? Heh, don't want to jinx it now, do we? **

* * *


	7. People Aren't What They Seem

**A Hero's Time Warp**

* * *

**Hope you enjoy and sorry for the wait.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 7… People aren't what they seem  
**

Gohan slumped down on the bench nearest to the fighting ring, hoping to get a good seat for the match. He was tired, irritated and partially depressed, and sure to hell this day felt as if it couldn't get any worse. Although, somehow, it wouldn't surprise him one bit if it did. Gohan wouldn't actually care if Cell just randomly came up to him and punched him in the face, at least he'd know where he was hiding.

'_Stupid Cell…'_

On the upside, Bulma hadn't yelled at him for a good while now. But on the bad side, she hadn't called him since she last yelled at him; things weren't looking up, not looking up indeed.

His lower lip quivered every so often as he thought about his friend, Krillin, for being disqualified for something he didn't do. This was a lot harder than he thought. Going back in time and everything seemed to be pretty easy at first –not that he underestimated it or anything, it was just that it didn't seem like he was going to be tied up in all this emotional drama which wouldn't stop occurring.

Man, he wanted another ice-cream really badly now…

Gohan sighed and brushed a hand through his spiky hair. "I wonder what dad would do in this situation…"

"Cyber!" A rough voice exclaimed out to him.

Turning his head in the direction of the calling of his new name, Gohan stood up and moved away from the bench he was once sitting on. A small gasp escaped from his lips as he spotted the person who was making his way over to him.

Walking in large strides, the tall man –green from head to toe, was not really in the best of moods. Piccolo, who Gohan speedily recognized, was rapidly making his way over to him with a sharp glare.

"P-p-p…" Gohan stuttered his words nervously, lost in the shock of seeing his master with such a negative aura illuminating him. "I- I… Mmm… Uh!" He hadn't seen his teacher act in such a manner since he was no older than four or five, so this was not really what he was expecting.

As Piccolo stormed over to the young boy, he could feel the child quiver under his gaze. He inwardly smirked at the fact. "Boy, tell me now! Now that nobody can get in my way, why are you wearing the same fighting wear as me?"

The Namek snorted and grabbed Gohan by the loose fabric around his chest, lifting up into the air in a threatening manner. "Isn't it some kind of respect when a student wears his master's clothing? I don't remember ever having a disciple!" Roughly, he brought Gohan up higher and shook him slightly. "Or is it some kind of mockery? Well kid, is it!?"

Gohan couldn't help but cower. He was the strongest fighter alive in the universe, but in reality; Piccolo scared the wits out of him, and for good reason. He then began to feel a stinging sensation in his eyes and had the urge to wipe them, but continued to do or say nothing under Piccolo's stern gaze.

Bringing his fist back, readying himself to land a punch, Piccolo frowned. "Well I'm sure I'll have to beat the answer out of you."

Cringing, the half breed also readied himself for the punch. He knew it was going to hurt Piccolo more than himself, but the fact that it was Piccolo still petrified him. The same Piccolo, who trained him, guided him, watched over him and heck, even sacrificed himself just so he could continue to live his weak, useless life...

However, nothing came. Slowly, the child opened one of his eyes to see Piccolo standing there, looking at the announcer with an irritated expression. The man was just standing next to them, watching with interest and curiosity with what was going to unfold.

"You make one more movement; Junior and you'll be disqualified!" he warned with a fierce expression, once realizing he had the Namek's undivided attention.

'Junior' growled and dropped Gohan to the floor, who was not expecting the sudden movement and fell to the floor with a 'thud'. Kneeling over slightly, Piccolo snarled; "You're just lucky I want to fight Goku, kid. I'd watch my back if I was you…" With that, he walked off into the crowds, his cape flapping about madly.

"Are you ok, kid?" the announcer then asked, giving Gohan his attention. "Junior is a tough customer and you must have done something major to annoy him like that."

The boy didn't really say much, he just stood up and walked away over to the other side of the stage, nearing the V.I.P area. The Announcer Silently watched and sighed, wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

'_Phew… Sometimes, I wish I had a job where I don't nearly wet my pants every time I see a big, scary guy heading my way…'_

* * *

The VIP section wasn't all it was cracked up to be. A person would have thought that no cameras, paparazzi or any kind of annoyance was there to distract the fighters. But how wrong were they! Blinding flashes continued to cause Gohan to turn away at every moment, blinking rapidly from the vicious lights. But nevertheless, the young boy had other things on his mind, other than the bothersome paparazzi, doing anything to make another one or two zenni.

Piccolo... The person who had spoken so roughly to him couldn't possibly be the same one that was in his time line. Stories of Piccolo's father were infamous, from what he had heard back before Cell. His father had been excited about telling him about his fights and adventures when he was younger, Chi-chi had been less keen about the whole concept of all the violence being known by such a young and innocent boy.

Pushing through the small crowd of people, Gohan tried to make little eye contact as possible, not wanting much attention, or interviews. His head was dipped low, dodging a few of the journalists calling out to him. Since the last fight, a small break was called earlier since the incident involving Gohan's match with Krillin.

Actually, he was quite thankful for that.

"Um, yeah, excuse Mr. King Chapa, sir, yeah."

Turning around swiftly, hearing a very familiar voice, Gohan noticed someone that surprise him greatly. The thing which made the hybrid notice the man was that he had a large, bouncy afro and a mustache with thick stubble. It was all so familiar... Very annoyingly familiar...

The man was following King Chapa around like a lost puppy or something. Like a clinging, little child, he stuck to him like glue. Gohan had recalled that Chappa had lost his fight not too long ago to his father in the first round. But there was a deep resemblance between the two men. Both had obnoxious afros, dark mustaches and a big bone complexion to top it all off.

* * *

"C-can you, uh, King Chappa sir, please give me a little, uh... um," Chapa looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Uh TINY! Break, please, sir!"

Chapa, once again did not look too happy. "Well Hercule, my dear cousin, if I gave you a break, I'd have to give all my assistants a break." He folded his arms arrogantly and rose an eyebrow, glaring down at the younger man. "That wouldn't be too fair, would it? I have to give my fans and the paparazzi what they deserve. You wouldn't want me to disapoint them, would you?"

Waving his muscled and hairy arms around madly, the man now known as Hercule gasped cowardly. "Definitely not, sir! I'm sorry for my incompetence!" He then quickly bowed over and over again.

"Good, and remember Hercule. You have to begin somewhere low to rise to the top to be as strong and powerful as me!" He boasted pridefully, his chest sticking out like a proud peacock's.

"What about Goku? He beat you, didn't he?"

Chappa's face grew red, as Hercule's grew whiter and paler by every second. The forbidden words had been said.

"How dare you, you, you- you worm!!" He then exploded, catching most of the Paparazzi's attention.

Said paparazzi circled around the angered man with flashing cameras, pushing Hercule out of the circle and to the ground. Dust scattered from the ground and floating up around the air of the scurrying men and women trying to get their time with the mighty, king Chapa. From a close distance, Hercule watched the action he thought he'd never obtain, and with a sigh, he stood up.

"Man," his gruff voice sounded. "Chapa will aways have the spotlight. I wish I got a little attention sometimes..."

Staring off into nothingness, he groaned. "Maybe then my family would respect me then too. Instead they think I'm some good-for-nothing."

"Hey mister."

Turning round, Hercule spotted a kid, about twelve or thirteen. His unruly, dark hair was certainly a stick out. Something about the child looked very familiar, then he caught it.

"Hey, are you related to Goku Son?" the elder man, around about his late twenties, blurted our randomly. "I-I, uh, I mean you look a lot like him." He then added sheepishly. "So uh, kid... how can I, uh, help?"

The boy was completely taken aback, shock clearly written all over his young face._' Huh? Wow, he's more intelligent than people give him credit for!' _he thought with surprise.

"I was wondering-"

"Wondering if you can have King Chapa's autograph?" he sighed, and then began speaking in an emotionless monotone, as if practiced a thousand times over. "King Chapa sends his apologies, but he has a busy schedule but cares deeply for his fans. If you have any comments or complaints please contact King Chapa's Agent on 09557-"

"No, no, no Mr. Satan!" the kid exclaimed, over and over. "I was wondering-"

"How'd you know my name?" he asked, feeling pleasantly surprised.

"Huh, oh, ermmmm, uhh, you're... a great fighter?"

From the comment, Hercule blushed slightly. "Uh, thanks kid. I do try. Aheh, But, ya'know, I'd never get anything out of it. The only reason I'm here is because of my cousin taking me under his wing as an assistant."

The boy smiled sadly, tilting his head to the side slightly."Well, I was wondering why you weren't fighting. Does King Chapa not let you fight?"

He snorted. "No. I'm his assitant and nothing else. But I do own my own dojo. But it's quite unpopular. My friend, Compas Pencil, helps me though."

"That's nice."

Suddenly, the child felt a very sudden respect for the man, who in his future seemed to be a complete idiot. This is when he realized that he actually has a heart, and a seemingly big one at that.

"Well, I think that you should continue with Mr. Pencil with your dojo and quit being your cousin's assistant." the young fighter then suggested.

"I don't know..."

"Well here's your chance."

And there it was. It seemed that Chapa was heading straight his way, looking rather angered too. His scowl sent chills down Hercule's spine, causing the man to gulp in fear.

"Let's get going, Hercule. You stupid fool, you caused us to get behind schedule because of all the paparazzi you attracted. Now let's go!"

He walked past his assistant, shoving his shoulder slightly, until...

"No."

"What?" Chapa turned around and glared. "What did you just say to me?!"

"No, I said no." Hercule then gulped once again, but now feeling somewhat braver. "I- I... I quit!"

"What?! You can't quit! What will the family think of you? Think about what a failure you are! You need me."

"No." he objected. "You need me! I don't care what they think! Someday I'll be a hero. Someday I'll get respect. But until then, I'd rather be a failure then work for the likes of you. I quit!"

"Fine Hercule! Let's see who comes out on top of this!" With that, Chapa stormed off and out of the VIP area, taking most of the paparazzi with him.

Smiling, Hercule released a long, deep sigh of breath. "Thanks kid, you were right. It felt good too."

He then turned and looked around, however, nobody was there. "Kid? Kid? Where are ya?"

But in response, he got a different person heading his way. He wore thick-rimmed glasses and have dark, curly hair. His hand quickly grabbed Hercules and shook it violently. "Hey," he greeted speedily. "I'm sorry but I couldn't help but over-hear your conversation with King Chapa. What do you think of a career yourself? Everybody would love the story of a man like you, rising from the bottom to the top. What do ya think?"

"T-top?"

"Yeah, my good man. You could be huge! What do you say?"

"Huh, well sure!" He laughed, folding his arms.

Not too far away, Gohan smiled. It seemed that Good, ole' Mr. Satan wasn't such a bad guy after all...

* * *

**Well, hi again, been a while, yes sorry!! Please don't sue! :D. I thought I'd include Mr. Satan, because I don't like people bashing on him. He was quite, ok very annoying in lots of episodes of DBZ, and like everyone else I wanted to see him crumble. But he is a good guy with a big heart, and doesn't deserve all the hate people give him. Give the dude a break, will ya? He is strong for a human too, and one of the only people in DBZ to never die!**

**But on the other hand, he is a dork. Lol.**

**Oh yeah, I forgot, I was thinking of putting a fight here in this chapter. Next I might do Hero V Junior. Might. :P**

**Well, I hope this is ok for you. I'll 'try' and update ASAP. Ty guys, you all rock. XxX  
**

* * *


	8. Rain

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

  
**

**Long, long, loooong wait there folks. Sorry, but here you go. :) **

**

* * *

Chapter 8… Rain**

Gohan flexed his muscles and stretched his arms with a stern frown, as his attention, which was totally undivided, was focused on the fighting ring before him. A long breath left his mouth as he began to warm up. This was followed by a sudden beep from his communicator sounding from his pocket of his gi. Ruffling around in his pocket, he eventually grabbed it and put it to his ear.

"Bulma," he greeted as his eyes followed various journalists still following around fighters and announcers, begging for interviews. He was unable to pinpoint any of his uh... friends. However, he could have guessed that they were at some kind of food court.

"Actually, bud! It's Krillin!" came the reply came from the other side of the 'phone'.

"W-wha! Krillin?" the child exclaimed, cupping his mouth as he looked round nervously in fear of being heard.

"Don't tell Bulma that I spoke to you over this contraption thingy-ma-bob but I wanted to see how you're doing out there. I heard that you were at the 23rd Budokai."

"Yeah," Gohan mumbled. "It's kinda' rough. Also, I haven't really spotted Cell yet but I'm pretty sure he's here. I can feel it. But other than that; I'm alright."

"As long as you're ok." Krillin said kindly. "Hey, hey!" he then exclaimed excitedly. "Have you seen me? How cool am I?! That's when we could all keep up with your dad –ok, not really... except Piccolo. Have you seen him too?"

Gohan scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Aheh, yeah; Piccolo's around. But I just kind of beat you in the last round."

"Oh man..."

"But you put up a fight!"

"Really?" Hope illuminated from his voice and the half breed could picture him have a huge grin plastered on his cheery face.

"Suuure... Anyway, how's things back home?" the child asked curiously.

"Everything's normal around here, well normal for us." The monk paused for a moment and thought for the next few seconds. "Actually There was something –no wait!! I almost forgot! You're mum's pregnant! I don't want to worry you or anything but your mum has been getting real sick and not because of the baby."

"Wha! What!! No way, Krillin! Are you serious?!" Gohan bellowed down the communicator. This earned a few stares from around the area. But still, he didn't show any interest to them. "She's... she's pregnant, Oh my gosh! No way! But what about being sick?!" He stopped for a minute, in wait for a reply. But nothing.

This was when the communicator chose to go dead.

Gohan stared at. His wide, dark eyes shimmered with tears of frustration as he fought the uprising urges to smash the delicate device in his strong hands. The communicator must have lost power, he concluded. His teeth were gritted together as anger washed over him.

"Damn it!" he snarled as he threw the device to the floor dramatically, crushing it with his small feet. Only small parts of said communicator remained on the ground, above; an angry young fighter merely glared down at it. Tearing his eyes away from the shards on the ground Gohan focused and looked up at the sky, which was fading into a beautiful orange and pink collage of clouds.

The break in which the judges had called was ridiculous. They had been waiting for hours now. Obviously they had caught onto the fact that someone else had attacked him from out of the ring (namely Cell, but they'd never guess that it was an android), but they shouldn't have gone through all the trouble of putting the other matches on hiatus.

A sigh sounded from the boy. _'If mum is really pregnant then... that means you'll never know your child.' _Gohan then told an invisible force in his mind, his eyes still fixated on the sky. _'I'm sorry, I feel as though it is my fault... But, I promise I'll take Cell out. I promise I'll take care of mum and my brother or sister. I promise that, even though you didn't return, I'll always do my best to protect the people that you always protected. But I can't promise, dad, I can't promise that I'll be as good as you. I'm nothing compared to you...' _A last beam from the orange sun shone down through the clouds one last time before disappearing finally.

Suddenly, Gohan began to feel little droplets of wetness licking at his skin. Upon looking upwards he noticed raindrops were beginning to fall speedily and the pace was getting faster and faster and only seconds passed until a heavy shower crashed down to the earth. Gohan frowned at the scene as young children ran to their parents for comfort, some looking to be around his age. This was when the green-eyed monster within him escaped for a moment. The way a family huddled under one umbrella with their hot chocolates escaping through steam, the way they laughed at each other playfully as the youngest splashed in the puddles nearby, even the way they looked at each other... Was that ever going to happen to him now that his father was gone?

The hybrid took in a deep breath as he looked down at his drenched clothes. Still, scatters of families evacuated the area and into shelters dotted around the ring. The rain slid down the child's nose and dived off drop by drop with his head bowing in distress and fists curled in frustration. It wasn't long until he was completely alone. Not even Piccolo was standing proudly on the roof anymore.

But through the rain, the speakers rang out; _"Due to Heavy rain matches will continue tomorrow. All remaining fighters have been booked into the hotel nearby and should be expected here at the ring at 12:00PM sharp. Apologies to all."_

* * *

Gohan dragged his legs to his hotel room, shoving the key into the door and turning it half-heartedly. With a long groan the Saiyan kicked off his shoes as he snatched the towel close-by from the rack, more or less forgetting to close the door behind him. Using his free hand Gohan grabbed the remote and switched the TV on. Straight away, as if mocking him the weather came on with the presenter pointing to part of the screen where storm clouds were gathered.

"It's freezing," he told nobody in particular as he rubbed his head raw with the towel.

"You got that right, sonny."

Rapidly, Gohan turned around to see a face not so familiar to him although there was something about the man that seemed odd. "Who are you?" the half-breed questioned curiously upon seeing the man walk into the room and closing the door behind him. The man had a serious hunchback and hair as black as Gohan's, also he had a small moustache and bready, black eyes – adding all this together, Gohan frowned. "Aren't you Hiro?" he thought aloud. "Yeah, you're a finalist too."

"Actually, I'll give you my real name, sonny boy, if you give me yours." 'Hiro' said to the boy. This earned a panicked expression from said child.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he gulped as he received a hardened glare from his fellow participant.

"I'm no fool, after all; I'm Kami." This was then proven as a small image of Kami himself flashed before the eyes of the young half-Saiyan.

Gohan's eyes bulged from out of their sockets as his legs immediately buckled and he fell down to his knees and bowed, showing his deepest respects. "I'm real sorry, Kami!" He then apologised through a rushed yell.

"Well at least you show me no disrespect, therefore couldn't be an enemy to me –or the greater good." Hiro, otherwise known as Kami, stated as he stared down at the soaked child. Gohan looked more like a drenched pup rather than a fighter in the Namek's eyes, his power level was very low too. "So who are you?" the elder eventually asked, "I've been sensing something abnormal from you since I first saw you win your fight against Yamcha."

Pushing himself up from the ground, more droplets of rain dripping from his hair flew off wildly as he spoke. "I doubt that I can tell you, Kami. If you understood the situation then you would be able to see why that you can't know the information!"

Kami faced Gohan and rubbed his chin. "Could you at least tell me why I can't know this information?"

The Saiyan scratched the back of his head as the eyes of god were engraving themselves into Gohan's features. "Uh... I wouldn't think that that is a good idea either." This earned a very concerned expression. "But... Seeing that you're Kami and all, I guess I could tell you." The hand dropped from the boy's back of his neck to his side. "My name is Gohan. I'm from the future."

"Future?" Kami repeated in confusion. "Time travel is not possible!"

"Well, in the future of my future it's possible!" Gohan explained as the Namek became just as puzzled as ever. Gohan didn't even bother explaining about Trunks. That would make things twice as worse. "I'm not supposed to be here just so you know, but there was no other way for me to... uh... complete my mission unless I came to the Budokai and competed."

"You do understand that if mess things up here than time would be completely different in your universe."

"Actually, Kami sir." Gohan disagreed. "All timelines are different because of the one thing that was not supposed to happen happened in that particular timeline. Whatever happens in this timeline will not affect the timeline which I come from, but will alter yours for either bad or good."

Kami stood there, completely washed over with bewilderment.

"Basically, sir." The Saiyan began. "As long as I'm careful things should be ok."

"Can I ask you one last question?" the possessed fighter wondered.

"I guess so..." he mumbled with doubt, scratching the back of his neck once more.

"Are you any relation to Goku?"

* * *

**Ughhhh... I think that this chapter could have been better. Sorry for such a long delay. I really can't promise many updates seeing things at school aren't getting easier. I'll try and get 'em out when I can. Thank you SO much for all the reviews so far. They seriously mean a lot to me.**


	9. Enter the Fat Man

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

  
**

**Another Chapter. ;-) I think I have a few little facts mixed up in this chapter. So if you see any, please do tell. Sorry for any mistakes too, so feel free to point them all also.  
**

**

* * *

Chapter 9… Enter the fat man  
**

* * *

Gohan looked up at Kami, startled and unaware that somebody could make such an accurate guess. His eyes met with the wrinkly pair belonging to the Namek, who's held a curious, yet devious expression. The boy tore his eyes away and glared at the ground anxiously, still beads of rain sliding down and over his chin.

"Well, Gohan..." His aged voice sounded cunningly.

Gohan's head shot up and he stared intently at Kami, his dark orbs flickering uneasily with apprehension. "You can't tell anybody." His furrowed brows twitched under the god's concentrated watch as he spoke acutely. "That _will _change this timeline too much, and who knows what will happen from there?" His tone drifted and he frowned. "How did you know?"

The possessed body, belonging to the Namek, smirked triumphantly. "If you wanted to keep the decision of not telling me your identity then you should have not told me your name in the first place. Gohan happened to be the name of Goku's adoptive grandfather..."

"I see." Gohan blushed in embarrassment at such a mistake.

"Also, only such a foolish inaccuracy could have been made by someone related to Goku. Adding little things up such as the way you fight, your appearance sharing many similarities with him and antics shared; I'm sure most people could put two and two together. I'm guessing you're a close relationship to Goku too; a nephew, cousin maybe? Well, this depends if any other family of Goku's has been discovered, of course."

"Son." Gohan answered handily. "He's my dad."

Kami threw the boy a stunned gaze and rubbed his chin. "I would have never expected Goku to have children."

Gohan laughed at this and scratched the back of his head shyly. "I don't think anybody did!"

"So you must come from a world not too far into the future. Did I instruct you to come to the past?"

The young half-Saiyan broke eye-contact and looked past him awkwardly.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Kami questioned. "Don't be so fretful, Gohan. I can take any information that might not be good news."

"You're not dead, well; I wouldn't class it as dying." Said Gohan; offering him a light smile. Thoughts about Piccolo drifted into his young mind as he grinned at Kami. "I'm just a little concerned about the amount of information I can give out to you. I don't know much about time travelling but the person who suggested that I should be the one to come here told me a few ground rules to stick to."

"I understand. You're a very wise boy. I can understand why the person suggested it should be you to come here."

**Bang, bang!**

Both Kami and Gohan turned and looked at each other, and then at the door as it swung open. The wooden door banged against the wall and with a puffed out chest like a peacock, stood Yajirobe. A crack of lightening stuck down as the over-weight man barged into the room and over to Kami, otherwise known as 'Hiro'.

'Hiro' placed his hands on his hunchback and frowned at the chubby fighter. "Now, now sonny, don't you think that was awful rude of you to come barging into this room?" Kami scolded.

"I don't give a crap, old man!" he exclaimed vulgarly, shaking a threatening fist. "I know you pretended to look a fool in our match to make me look like an idiot!"

"Now that isn't true, young man." Kami denied; an amused smile appearing on his ripened face. "I just happen to be a little lucky."

Gohan couldn't help but to chuckle at Kami's last sentence. However, he soon regretted it when Yajirobe turned on him.

"And what the hell are you laughing at, punk?!" The crude man flung has arm and pointed his finger at him. "I'll take you on too, kid, whether you're from the future or not!"

Both Kami and Gohan stared at Yajirobe worriedly. Then the hybrid bit his lip with concern. "So how much did you hear?"

"I came up to the door just before hearing you talk about ground rules. Once I saw that loser –Hiro, I decided to make my entrance and give him what for!" The tubby martial artist explained.

"Did you hear anything else?" Gohan asked, earning the man to shake his head 'no'.

"But that's still good dirt, maybe I should go tell the judges!"

Kami sighed and rubbed his temples. "I guess I'll tell him who I am-"

Gohan put his hand up and smirked, silencing Kami. "How about if I give you everything in my mini bar?" He then gestured to the small fridge beside the desk in the small hotel room. "Seeing I'm a finalist I get everything for free. I'll give you everything in it if you keep quiet?"

Yajirobe's stomach growled in agreement as he flung himself towards the mini bar. Yanking the plug from out of the socket, Yajirobe picked up the bar and chuckled to himself as he gazed over at Gohan. "Hehe, thanks for doing business." With that, Yajirobe, like a schoolgirl, skipped out of the room with the fridge on his shoulder.

Shutting the door once the offensive fighter had left, the Saiyan gave an exasperated frown. "I was really hu-u-u-ungry too!"

Kami smiled at the child. "Yes, certainly Goku's son indeed."

* * *

Yajirobe sat down in middle of the hallway about a floor down in the hotel as he opened the mini bar door. His eyes widened as drool dribbled down and over his chin at the sight of the innards. Much like a child in a sweetshop, Yajirobe didn't know what to eat first.

"Haha! Beef, chicken, sausages! Ahaha!"

"Hey Yajirobe, what are you doing here?"

Turning around with a chicken leg in his mouth, Yajirobe spotted that he wasn't alone. He took a bite of his food and glared at the other person present. "If you are planning to get any _my _food then you have another thing coming, Goku!"

"Aww..." Goku groaned, sitting next to his over-sized friend. "Not even a bite?"

"Get lost, Goku!"

"C'mon Goku, I wanna' show you how to play pool!" came Yamcha's voice from down the hall.

"Hey guys, look who I found!" The Saiyan yelled to his friends.

Krillin was first to appear, followed by Yamcha and Bulma. As soon as they turned the corner a laugh was sounded by Krillin as soon as Yajirobe was in eyesight. "What's he doing here? Wait, was he the one that got their butt whipped by that moronic man, Hiro? Ahaha!"

"You pipe down little man!" Snarled Yajirobe in defence; "that man aint' normal!"

"Ugh, that's disgusting! Look at the way he's gulping down those sausages!" Bulma shrieked in repulsion.

"I guess there's more chance of an ice cube not melting in front of a fire than Yajirobe eating with manners." Krillin laughed with his hands on his hips.

"Quiet baldy!" he snapped, the poor remains of the pork flying out from his mouth.

"Wait, isn't that food only free for the finalists? I couldn't imagine you having enough cash to pay for all that!" Bulma then barked at the over-weight competitor.

"In fact, it was a gift! So why don't you all beat it!"

"How rude... Who the heck would give _you _anything?!"

"That kid, the other finalist... uh what's his name? It's real dumb. Uhh, Cyber isn't it? Yeah, Cyber, he gave me food if I kept my mouth shut." He then took another bite of food, this time tackling the cheese.

"Huh?" Goku now became interested. "What did he say?"

"Well if I told you then I wouldn't be sticking to my promise now, would I?" Yajirobe snorted, bits of cheese escaping through his teeth.

"Damn it! Close your mouth when you eat, you pig!" Bulma roared, slapping the chubby man over the head.

"Hey, hey, Bulma! Calm down!" Yamcha ushered, pulling her away from the feasting animal. "I'm sure we can make an agreement with you, Yajirobe."

"Yeah, if you tell us what Cyber said then we'll give you all Tien's free food!" Goku exclaimed cheerfully.

"Goku!" Krillin hissed. "I'm sure you can't make promises like that! Why not give him your food?!"

"I've already eaten all my food..." Goku mumbled sorrowfully. "Besides I'm sure Tien won't mind..."

"Hehehe! That sounds good to me!" Yajirobe proclaimed. "More food! Great!"

"Pig..." The blue-haired woman grumbled.

"Fine, I'll talk." He spoke happily. "I was walking past Cyber's door upstairs when I heard him talking to someone, I felt kinda' nosey so I peeked in and then heard something about time travelling and about how he couldn't give a lot of info away. The other guy then said something else about it being a good job that he was picked 'cause he is wise or somethin' else. I recognised the voice straight away and barged in." Yajirobe curled his first and snarled. "It was Hiro -the dude that beat me earlier today. So I think that they might be conmen or somthin' cause' I really don't trust that Hiro. But the kid seemed alright! He gave me all this great food!"

A few gasps could be heard but Goku was the one to start speaking first. "Hmnn..." He rubbed his chin and grinned. "I guess I should confront them then!"

"Goku! How the hell can you be in such a good mood after hearing all that?!" Yamcha called out.

Standing up, Goku brushed himself down and waved to the others, a grin still intact. "Well, I'll be back!" With that, the Saiyan dashed down the corridor, leaving a bunch of totally bewildered friends.

"Hey, Goku! Where's Tien's food that you promised me!? Get back here!"

* * *

**Well, I should have been doing coursework right now, but that can wait seeing I haven't stopped revising and working for about a month solid. So with this time I thought I would update. At least this wait wasn't as long as before. But yes, I'm trying to move the plot along now. I hate dragging things out. Unfortunately, I can't say when my next update will come along seeing I don't even have Saturdays to myself no more, ugh Saturday school, it sucks! But we get money for doing it. :-D. Moving along... I would like to thanks all reviews, alerts and favs! They keep me writing! Also, I want to apologize for not getting back to reviews like I usually would. I'll try and get back into the habit of doing so. **


	10. Enter the Strong Man

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

**

**OMFG? An update? An update! I liiiive! Well, I'm officially half way through my exams now so I thought I would celebrate and release a chapter. Whoop, whoop! –Throws streamers around and the room- Hey! You! Have a party hat!**

**Ahh, I just discovered something in my documents I forgot all about. Seems like I wrote an Ouran High School Host club oneshot! So, I might just post that. Ah well, I dunnoh' actually, it took a while to get people into my stories in the Dragonball Z fandom. So they probably won't even let me into a fandom so opposite DBZ. Ahaha, well, please enjoys?? ;-)

* * *

**

**Chapter 10… Enter the strong man**

Now Gohan wasn't all that stupid. Sure, he gave all his food to Yajirobe. However, he had remembered the extra couple of snacks which hid in the cupboards of the room. So when Gohan had opened those cupboards, he had never been happier to find hot chocolate. He soon found a kettle and soon added water –to make the precious beverage. And when the heavenly, steaming drink glided down his throat; the gurgling stomach no longer growled out in starvation. But even though, hot chocolate may not count as _real _food, Gohan still counted whatever food, whether it had been powdered or barely nonexistent, pure luck.

But, nonetheless, what happened next, in the near future, could not be classed as 'pure luck' on Gohan's behalf.

Sat down comfortably on the soft bed, Gohan listened to the storm outside and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of chocolaty steam from his drink. Kami had left about ten minutes ago, saying that "he had other things to take care of" and so the hybrid didn't complain –for he needed a five minute break!

"_Chances are; the skies will be as bad as ever tomorrow so don't pack and sun cream as it will be rain, rain, rain and more rain! Back to you, Geoff; in the studio."_

Gohan groaned in dismay at the statement from the weather broadcast. Cell was due to destroy the world today, but by the looks of how things were turning out –things could be doubtful. Due to Gohan's little holiday to the past (on Cell's behalf), the half-breed had began to figure out how the android's brain worked a little. Gohan speedily came to the decision that Cell was sadistic.

Well, that was obvious.

But, Cell was _that_ sadistic that Gohan had the idea that the bucket of bolts was planning a way to destroy the world in way which would hurt him the most. Maybe by somehow turning everyone he loved against him. Oh, there was _no _somehow about that! Cell might as well check that of his list.

"Stupid robot..." Gohan snorted into his cup rudely.

So, another idea that cropped up into Gohan's mind was that Cell was unpredictable. Cell would probably not even fight him for a while yet –nevertheless today. Gohan could surely imagine that Cell was waiting for something. And that scared him. Therefore, the only secure idea that the boy could come up with was that the monster was waiting for the tournament to be over, so he could strike then –for whatever darn reason.

* * *

"Kami! Kami! Please wait up! I know it's you!"

The god turned around uninterestedly and faced the man bellowing his name. The possessed body began to crack a wry smile at the fighter standing opposite him. Suddenly, Kami began to chuckle to himself as he stooped over, with his hands placed firmly on his back.

"Goku, my boy, I see nothing gets past your eyes. As cautious as ever, I presume?"

"Kami, please, tell me; I know something is going on –with Piccolo and, and... Cyber?" Goku asked, curling his fists slightly. "It's a strange feeling I get from the kid. I dunno' what though! And, and I know no one else feels anything." He stared intently into Kami's eyes. "I don't think Cyber is a bad guy, and if –and if _you_ were talking to him then I know he can't be."

Kami blinked. "Goku, I have never seen you act in such a worrisome manner."

"It's like he's got this aura, Kami, and I'm the only one that can sense it."

"Now, Goku. You're not the only one that can sense it." The Namekian stated knowingly, sending shivers down the Saiyan's young back. "It seems that Piccolo has picked up on it, as well as me too."

"I've never had such a strong gut feeling before in my life. It's an indescribable feeling, Kami. But... but it doesn't feel bad or anything..." Goku revealed embarrassment clearly evident on his pink face.

It was clear to Kami that Goku hadn't ever felt such awkwardness before –and this made the god worry somewhat. Had Gohan's journey began to affect things for the worse back in this timeline? Kami could hit the nail on the head and say that the very emotion that Goku was feeling was something he shouldn't have been feeling for a little while yet. It was obvious, to him, that Goku was experiencing a parental sensation in the aspect of the way he was approaching this 'Cyber'.

Was a human parental-bond strong enough to even withstand time itself? Goku didn't even know that Gohan was his son and still, he felt an urge to protect him. Kami felt very impressed.

"Goku, do not worry yourself when bigger things are at stand here. Are you aware that Piccolo is going to cause a very large problem soon enough if we are not cautious?" Kami hissed-somewhat, changing the subject.

"I understand. " Goku said apologetically. "However, Kami, I wish to know what Cyber's true incentives are."

"There is little time to explain anything, and to what extent did I say that the boy explained anything to me?"

"Yajirobe told us that-"

"Hey, Goku!" A strong-willed, female voice exclaimed out to the young man. Whipping around rapidly, Goku saw Bulma stand there; waving an enthusiastic arm at him. "Come on, Goku, tell us! What's happening?!" It wasn't a second longer until the blue-head ran over to the two, throwing her hands onto her hips viciously. "Well?"

"Huh, Bulma..." Goku's brow furrowed for a moment at Bulma as she had interrupted a very important time.

Bulma then turned her attention to Kami and frowned disgustedly. "Are you telling me that the threats of the world are turning into something this pitiful?"

"Excuse me, little madam, but that was rather rude. No?" Kami chuckled, playing the role of an old, clumsy man.

"Are you joking me, Goku? Is this what the world is turning into? Where even the strongest of fighters are scared of a little, wimpy man?"

"Bulma... Please could you-" Goku tried.

**BOOM!!**

All turned their attention to where an explosion sounded to find that it was in the direction of a certain half breed's room. All ran, except Bulma (who thudded around in high heels in attempt to catch the two males up). The three arrived in time to see Gohan slowly leave his bedroom –smoke seeping through the cracks between the wall and door. Gohan's own face was as black as the smoke itself as he spluttered a cough into his hand -whilst looking into his hotel room guiltily through the keyhole.

"Damn..." Gohan mumbled into the door, still not noticing the small crowd behind him. "Bulma's gonna' kill me..."

"Wh-what?" the eleven-year old then heard.

Gohan spun around so quickly that he tripped over his own feet. From there he looked up at the blue-haired, female scientist and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, I didn't say anything!" Gohan's speedy, not-so-intelligent remark responded.

"You said my name!"

**KABOOM!!!**

Everyone scrunched up their eyes at the ear-splitting sound as another explosion erupted in the hybrid's room. But when the noise died down, Gohan took another brave peek through the keyhole again and attempted to twist the doorknob. Unfortunately, when the child tried to turn it, the golden knob just felt to the ground. Still crouched, Gohan stumbled over, a little, in surprise.

"Oh." He then muttered before biting his bottom lip anxiously.

"Hey, kid!" Bulma then dragged Gohan up by his scruff and shook him about carelessly. "Whadda' mean when you say 'Bulma will be mad'? Hey!! I'm mad now!"

**BOOM!! BOOM, BOOM!!!**

Bulma immediately dropped Gohan, who fell down with a thud as the hotel shook from the explosion. And as fast as the eye could see, Bulma darted past Kami and hid behind Goku –clinging onto his orange gi worriedly. Goku just watched on with an arm over his head, puzzled and as did Kami whilst Gohan placed his hands over his head in protection from the crumbling door.

And again, it quietened down.

"Ahh!! What the hell is that thing?!" Bulma shrieked.

"It's defective... That's what it is..." Gohan answered sourly as he stood up and dusted himself down.

"Defective...?" Goku mumbled with a lack of clarity. Striding past his friends and then up to and past Gohan, he then broke down the door with a tap of his wrist and peeked past it. "Ah! What the heck's that?!"

"Nothing!" Gohan exclaimed as he picked up the broken door and slammed it shut, leaning against it frantically –and nearly tackling Goku over in the process. "Just a giant lump of metal –which exploded!" a quick, frightened answer boomed at Goku.

His father grabbed the back of Gohan's collar and picked him up carefully and moved him to the side. Gohan didn't retaliate. He didn't dare. His father was the strongest in this timeline and if he challenged that then things would change for the worse. Well, that's what his guess was. Goku then reopened the door to reveal the remaining contents of the room. All went silent.

"Oh my god." Bulma gasped into her hands. She then turned accusingly to Gohan. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Gohan frowned. "I really didn't."

"What the hell is that? Is that one of mine?" the scientist questioned.

In the centre of the room, the time machine laid there –broken and smoking. Sparks flew left and right, causing the royal purple curtains to set alight. Smog surrounded the machine as it lay there in tatters and as seconds passed by; more pieces of scrap metal clanged to the floor. The lilac armchair belonging to the hotel, as the curtains had, also began to burn and crackle under the heat.

"Not good." Gohan commented as he stood up, rubbing the back of his head once again.

"What is it?" Bulma questioned as she began to walk over to the machine, "it certainly looks like my handy work."

"What? Because it's broken into many little pieces, and then it nearly killed the guests of this hotel?" Goku inquired innocently.

"No!" Bulma hissed as she fought all urge to slap the Saiyan across the face.

Gohan also walked into the room and made his own way to the window, opening it up and releasing all the deathly smoke into the windy, wet night sky. The boy sighed and leaned out of the window to catch some nontoxic air before spluttering into a small frenzy of coughs. Once bringing up one leg, he snatched his opposite up onto the outside windowsill and looked out to hotel's grounds –heavy droplets of thick rain thumping down onto his black, spiky hair.

"Ah! Cyber! What the heck are you doing?!"

Just as Gohan was to turn around and face the voice's owner, he felt a large hand wrap around his small ankle; causing him to slip. And when Gohan was about to release a yelp, he felt another firm hand stealing his leg. All he could do was dangle upside down from ninth floor window, being held onto tightly by a certain person.

"Ah! What are you doing?!" Gohan yelled up to the smoky man as he dangled from bellow the windowsill by his left leg.

"You were the one about to jump out of window so far up!" came the familiar voice of his father.

"I'm sure you've jumped out of something taller than this!" the hybrid bellowed back up to him, a small smile threatening to overtake his face.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure but I don't think it's normal for a kid to be able to jump from anything this high!"

"It's not!" he laughed up to the man. "Besides I was getting fresh air, not committing suicide or anything!"

"Do you wanna' continue this conversation or do you want me to drag you up?!" Goku shouted down to the child with a slight smirk- not that Gohan could see through the thick and heavy smoke.

As the youngest Son family member was pulled up, Kami approached the duo in the dark room. He watched both of the males with interest and frowned. _'They certainly are related. I have a hundred percent confidence that the boy, Gohan, is from the future. Too many similarities are shared between them both to suggest that they are not close family. However, I am worried that Gohan's interference in this timeline could go horribly wrong. It seems to me that Gohan is not very confident that he knows what he is doing where timeline is concerned; even though he is trying his best to keep control of things... but my greatest fear is that any strong emotions may take over.'_

"You're on fire!" Gohan screamed out his young lungs at his father.

"What?!" Goku hollered back stupidly, unable to hear due to the nearby fire alarm going off.

"You're on fire!" he repeated.

"I'm a liar?!"

"You're on fire!"

"I've grown higher?!"

"No! You ARE on FIRE!"

Gohan slapped his forehead and sniggered into palm.

"Oh my God! I'M ON FIRE!!"

Kami frowned again. _'Yes, Gohan needs to be careful as Goku is realising now... Whether it is subconscious or not... and this could change the outcome of the timeline forever.'

* * *

_

**It's been that long that I forgot how to upload a chapter! Damn! Stupid ass exams! Anyway, a note to all authors that you shouldn't listen to party music whilst writing! I was singing and dancing and losing focus! Aha, =D. I danced to Time warp like ten times! Ahh! Look what I did! Time warp = my fan fic name! =P. I know, I'm lame... And proud! Whoop, whoop! Thanks for all PMs, reviews, alerts and faves! They mean a bunch of bananas to me! And we all love bananas!**


	11. Meet Borg

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

**

**Another Chapter. Sheesh, this story is annoying. I'm angry with it at the moment, can you tell, aha. I'm bitching about it every chance I get. The start of the chapter seems kinda mushy to me –most likely because I've been getting stuff done with my mushier fics.

* * *

**

**Chapter 11… Meet Borg**

Soaked to the very bone thanks to the sprinklers, Gohan decided to take a trek to the common room downstairs. Since everything that had happened whilst he had been there, the boy had dubbed himself as 'the unluckiest person to date'. In actual fact, Gohan couldn't think of one thing he had done correctly since he had arrived at this place. The hotel was full, to say the very least. And when he went downstairs, people either gave him questioning looks about his appearance or mutter between each other about the tournament.

He was the centre of attention and he hated it. When he returned back to his timeline, somehow, he would have to ask Hercule Satan about why the afro-headed buffoon craved it so much.

One girl ran up to him at one point and asked him to sign an autograph. With the pinkest cheeks imaginable, he did as he was asked and the girl scurried off back to her mother –whom nodded thankfully to him.

Being in the hotel seemed to be too troublesome for him, and now that tree in the front garden seemed more tempting than ever. At least he had an 'alright' night's sleep there on the day before the tournament.

Gohan chose this moment to leave the common room and head for the outside. Stepping through the doors of the stuffy hotel and into the breezy wind seemed like the best idea Gohan had had in a while. The rain was still as heavy as ever, but Gohan didn't mind. He savoured it for a moment and felt the black ash be cleaned from his body.

He breathed out and closed his eyes, steam leaving his nostrils as he took a five minute break from reality.

_"Gohan, you're not doing your job properly if all you're doing is standing there." _An amused statement sounded.

His eyes shot open wider than saucers. That voice... He turned slowly and anxiously, scepticism flickering across his ebony eyes.

Standing there, just as drenched as he was, was a familiar friend. Gohan felt himself sag emotionally and physically. The man laughed as he watched the half breed's comical reaction. And Gohan found himself wanting to cry and laugh all at the same time. But instead, he chose the method of running up to the person and shaking him madly. His eyes were both tired and restless, and Gohan couldn't decide whether he wanted to punch him or not.

"What are you doing here?!" Gohan shot at him. He paused and thought hard for a moment. "Actually, no! Why did it take you so long to get here? This time traveling is maddening""

His friend laughed nervously and shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly. A smile slid onto handsome face just as uneasily.

"Sheesh, Trunks..."

Stood there, in full glory (despite being drenched from the heavy rain), was the future version of Bulma's little baby. Gohan thanked whoever was looking over them that Trunks had decided to pass on wearing his Capsule Corp. Jacket. He didn't need any more troubles. In fact, Gohan had considered that he was going to have a nervous breakdown at one point.

No. But in all seriousness...

"Why are you here?" Gohan asked again, containing his emotions. "Don't you think I can do this?"

Trunks blinked in confusion at the boy's sudden change in expression. He then smiled, after all; he should be used to the child's personality now –despite that he had known the Gohan from his timeline and not the eleven year-old version. "I think you're doing fine, Gohan."

The younger of the two, physically at least, scratched the back of his head and mumbled an apology for his rudeness. But after a long winded sight, he then looked at the man with seriousness still engraved into his ebony eyes. "I know, it's on two different levels, but I feel like we might share this in common. But, it's hard –ain't it? To see your father; just standing there. And you can't say anything because it might just do something that could disrupt the universe's well being. He's dead but fate just dangles him tauntingly in front of you, but -but... you can't say anything."

Gohan nodded in understanding.

Trunks looked at Gohan compassionately and smiled warmly. "It is hard. I never knew my father at all, and when I saw him on that day I came to the past –well, let's just say I felt like I was being introduced to another part of me."

Trunks sighed and turned his back on the child for a moment. Gohan guessed that he wanted to regain his composure. The child never knew that this was a touchy subject -but could see why it was, nevertheless. A few seconds dragged by before the elder of the two turned back around.

"I only knew you in the future, Gohan –out of all the Earth forces. When you died, I knew there was no other way to save my present other than meeting your father." Trunks paused for a fleeting moment, before looking back down at the young boy. "This may sound strange, but please excuse me, Gohan. I know the two of you were never the same people. My Gohan never had the chance to grow up to be carefree like you do, so he turned out cautious and paranoid; but still, nonetheless, kind, generous and such a good friend."

The hybrid hung onto Trunk's every word.

"I know, it's on two different levels, but I feel like we might share this in common." The lilac haired fighter began, mimicking exactly what Gohan had said earlier. "I'm sure you blame yourself for your father's death. It's so evident. Anyone can see it. But, sometimes, and I'm sorry about the awkwardness, but... but, I feel responsible for your death."

Gohan's dark eyes widened and he felt sick to the stomach. His counterpart had made Trunks feel guilty? If it was anything like the guilt he felt for his father's death, then he could understand. It was a horrible, horrible feeling that felt like being stabbed in the gut. The younger fighter eyed Trunks for a moment just to see the pain hiding beneath his expressions.

"Why...? Why are you guilty?" Gohan dared to ask, his face solemn.

Trunks bowed his head in submission and glared at the ground with a mixture of anger and sadness. His teeth grinded together and his fists clenched under Gohan's stare. So in a weak voice, he answered. "I just wasn't strong enough."

Gohan blinked. Trunks had been beating himself up because of not being strong? That was it? His puzzled demeanour vanished when realisation slapped him hard across the face. Completely shocked, he then realised why Trunks was telling him this information. Even though the man had mentioned on more than one occasion that the two Gohans were not the same, Trunks still spilled his emotions out to him just like he would do if he was his mentor.

Trunks was seeking forgiveness, Gohan then decided.

"You know, telling me this stuff isn't going to do you any good." The child spoke bluntly.

Trunks looked up, startled that Gohan had brushed him and his feelings aside like that.

"If you want forgiveness, you ain't going to get it."

The youngest hybrid watched as Trunk's heart sank. Yet, before long, Gohan smiled. "Forgiveness is only for people who have done something wrong and I don't think your Gohan will be blaming you for anything. Not being strong enough is a stupid reason. I believe when trying your hardest you have nothing to be blamed for. And as soon as you help me get out of this mess, then you can go sort out your timeline, right?"

Trunks' light eyes connected with Gohan's dark ones as the boy smirked at him optimistically.

The elder fighter then decided; he had never felt so happy in so long -he felt the chip off his should disappear.

* * *

"Hey, who's that?"

Yamcha caught Krillin's attention and they both peered out of the window. When covered in condensation, Krillin wiped the fogged-up window clean and stared out into the garden. They were both rather surprised to see Cyber and some stranger outside talking, as if they had known each for years. Yamcha rose a suspicious eyebrow and Krillin squirmed uncomfortably as he dropped his Pool cue on the table.

"Man, I hope he's not stronger than the kid." Krillin uttered worriedly.

"Well, don't worry. He isn't in the tournament anyway." Yamcha said reassuringly.

Krillin nodded, but gulped anyway.

"Have you seen Goku about?"

"Not since the fire."

Both stopped and sat in silence.

However, Krillin thought that this would be a good time to release a long chuckle –earning a confused glance from his good friend. Nonetheless, the monk grinned in his direction. "Ya know, it's always us. Ain't it? We're always the one getting into mishap and have to struggle to keep everything safe. Can you imagine another twenty years at this? I can't" Another laugh sounded. "But with some luck, even in ten years time, we won't have to fight another villain..."

Yamcha nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it would be nice."

"_At least it's warm in here." _A new, masculine voice sounded.

Both men turned around swiftly to see Cyber and the stranger enter the hotel common room, as wet as anyone could be. Some of the other guests muttered complaints as the dripped everywhere they walked, whilst some of the girls decided it would be good to wolf whistle strange young man following Cyber. The both seemed oblivious to it all.

"Cyber!" Krillin heard his friend shout from beside him, to his clear and utter dismay.

It took a second but the child turned around and faced the duo before approaching them, with the strong-looking stranger following closely behind. "What is it, Yamcha?"

Krillin looked up at the scary guy from behind Cyber. His hair was a strange lavender colour and his eyes matched with a weird shade of purple. Actually, he was almost familiar looking. His eyes were quite narrow compared to Cyber's wide and seemingly naive ones. And as soon as the stranger noticed Krillin watching him, he turned away and blushed nervously. Krillin nearly laughed aloud!

First stoic and then shy.

'_I just don't get them...' _he then thought, bewildered.

"Don't act all innocent with me, kid! It's not like we don't know you're working for Piccolo!" Yamcha hissed in a hush voice, not wanting to frighten the nearby guests.

"You are?" Cyber's companion asked, baffled. This grabbed both Krillin's and Yamcha's attention.

"No, I'm not..." the boy then scratched the back of his head. A habit which seemed very familiar to Krillin the more the child seemed to perform it.

"And what's your name?" Yamcha darted around to see Tienshinhan standing proudly behind them with folded arms. His eyes were locked with ones belonging to the lavender haired man.

_'When did Tien arrive?' _Krillin thought with an arched brow.

Cyber looked up at his friend speedily in apprehension, which mystified Krillin all the more. The older of the two looked like had just been put on the spot.

"Uhmm, uh, my name is... uh Borg?"

Everyone, Cyber included, did a double take.

"Seriously," Tien spoke out once again; even ruder than before. "If you're going to make up a name, at least make it a good one."

"It is my real name." 'Borg' insisted with reddened cheeks.

"We're, um, cousins..." Cyber turned pink himself and they both looked down at the floor nervously. "It's a, uhm, tradition to have strange names in our family..."

"So, uhh, yes!" Yamcha exclaimed, trying to move on from the subject. "Where's Goku? He isn't around, and I'm pretty sure that you know something about it!"

Cyber scratched the back of his neck again. Yes, so he was feeling edgy; Krillin concluded. "Last time I saw him was at the fire."

But speak of the devil; Goku arrived into the room –his face blacker than coal, probably from the smoke. However, the only thing that seemed to make them feel surprised was the fact that he was talking to the clumsy Hiro very seriously. Yamcha sighed and rubbed his temples as a headache seemed to be arising; due to the intensifying confusion. And as soon as he was about to confront Cyber and Borg again, the two seemed to have disappeared.

* * *

"Ah! Gohan, what have you done to push their buttons?" Trunks asked, now safely away from the chaotic group. Both were hiding in the nearby corridor and panting –they had never moved so quickly in their live times!

"It's a _long_ story." Gohan replied through his panting. "But you never did answer me; why are you here?"

"My mum sent me. Well, the 'my mum' from your time, anyway." Trunks told him openly. "Your time machine exploded, didn't it? I thought as much. I gave the instructions to make one to my mother, the one from your timeline, and she made one for you. But I had a feeling that something like this would happen. Time machines are tricky."

Gohan sighed and leaned against the wall. "It's never easy, is it? And I still have to hunt down Cell."

"I'm here to deliver some goods and stay to help if need be –but not permanently."

"What... Why?"

"I need to get back to my time, don't I?" Trunks smiled kindly at the boy, who grinned back with a pearly smile. A look of surprise dashed onto Trunks' face and he shuffled through his pocket until he found two capsules. "Here, Gohan." He said, handing both of them to the boy. "One's another time machine my mother made and the other is some stuff your mother begged me to bring you."

"My mother!" Gohan gasped out loudly. "How is she? Isn't she supposed to be ill?"

Trunks' eyebrows rose, before patting the young boy on the head with the same tender smile he had used before. "She's fine. I promise. You'll get some nice news when you get home but I don't want to ruin the surprise. It's not my place to say."

Gohan decided to leave it at that. Usually, he would try and push to get the truth. But at the moment, he had a one track mind and that was to beat Cell.

"But don't you think we should try and get some rest soon, Gohan?" his friend then asked. The younger fighter looked up at him with large eyes. "After all, I have a feeling it's going to be a busy day tomorrow and I can only help so much."

* * *

**Done! I did this chapter very quickly too –you can tell because it's crap and full of possible mistakes =). I wanted it out just to show people I haven't give up and I needed to do it for myself -otherwise it will never happen anytime soon. So yes, Trunks! I bet you're like 'Whaa?'. But it was a last minute decision and I seriously doubt he will be in it for more than two chapters. Three at the most. At the start, I had a very epic name for this chapter but changed it to suit Trunk's name. Sheesh, such cruddy names. =D  
**

**Anyway.... Sorry for the crappness of this one and thanks for all reviews, alerts, faves and PMs! **


	12. Hide and Seek Cell Style

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

Note to self, never ever write a chapter whilst watching the shopping channel. I can remember everything about the Slicer Dicer, Body pumper and that damn gold ring you just must get for your mother's birthday this year -and buy now and you can get this bracelet absolutely free!! Free? Yes: FREE! -_-'

* * *

**

**Chapter 12… Hide and Seek... Cell Style  


* * *

**

Finally, Gohan felt like he was getting somewhere. With Trunks' help, he was sure that things were taking a turn for the better. He stretched his arms and legs and walked out onto the balcony. He smiled and his grin reached from one ear to another as he looked into the sunny sky. The weather was even looking down at Gohan with approval.

So yes, Gohan felt much better than he did yesterday.

"It's hot today..."

Gohan turned around to see Trunks wiping his brow free of sweat. He had to agree with man –it was _incredibly _hot. The rain from the night before had jumped up a level and turned into a terrifying storm. The half Saiyan had never been a fan of storms, after all. On the day before the WMAT, there was a storm just as harsh as the one last night had been. With all honesty, Gohan was rather scared. Normally, he would always run off to his dad. And Goku, upon seeing how worried his son had looked, would tell him stories about his childhood and they would share a laugh together.

Gohan couldn't do that anymore.

But the most annoying thing was that Goku was only down the hall. Yet, Gohan couldn't go running him, and they could not share a laugh, and they could not talk about his childhood, and to top it off; Gohan couldn't even receive a simple hug.

The half breed leaned over the banister and looked down at the ground. He was quite high up –at least five or six storeys high. With curious eye, he then noticed some of the guests sunbathing near the small pool area. He scratched the back of his head.

'_I would have thought; after a brutal storm like that one was last night, it wouldn't have remained so hot.' _Gohan thought, a little perplexed.

"I wonder where Cell is." He heard Trunks say from beside him. The man's lavender eyes, like Gohan's, scanned over the hotel's grounds. A sigh sounded. "Where ever he is, I'm pretty sure he is healing. Time travelling can take a toll on your body, and, because of your fight you had with him in the Cell games, it would have made him extremely tired. 'Guesses are; that he is probably building up his strength somewhere."

Gohan turned to him and frowned. Still, the sun's heat continued to burn his already-tanned skin. "So he's in hiding?"

"That's just my opinion." Trunks replied; his attention still focused on the ground below them. "I think that he is somewhere; dank, cold and in the middle of nowhere –where you can't find him. After all, you did land a heck of a punch on him, didn't you?"

The boy blushed at his friend's words and scratched the back of head.

"You're stronger this time too. Saiyans become stronger after every fight. The worse the injury, the better it is for the round. I guess."

"It's probably the same for him. He _does _have Saiyan genes in him." The child sighed and brushed a hand through his hair.

Trunks hummed in response, watching the tourists become fascinated with view of the nearby mountains. "You know, Gohan, I think my father wanted to come back and stop Cell too. I don't know why he would though, because in general, he is a pretty cold person."

"He cares about you."

A small smile crept onto the older fighter's face as pride shone in his eyes. "I know... I was told about how father attacked Cell, after that monster shot me. You had to help him after that, didn't you? And it nearly cost you your arm. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Gohan said hastily, waving his arms around madly in his friend's face.

"But, it _is_ ironic that you nearly lost an arm. You lost your arm in my time line too." Trunks smiled wryly. "You're careless. But then again, that's why I think my father wants to help you. It's not guilt he's feeling, but has the feeling to want to redeem himself and maybe make it up to you." A sigh sounded. "I don't know, it's just a thought. I'm sorry for throwing my opinions at you."

"No, it's good to finally be able to talk to someone else!"

Trunks smiled, still staring down into the yard. A frown then presented itself back onto his face."That's not the problem at hand though. The real issue is Cell... and where he is hiding."

"But, I'm sure I felt Cell attack me when I was up for my match against Krillin." Gohan pointed out, sending a puzzled glance at Trunks –who frowned in response.

Now this was a mystery.

"Are you sure it was Cell?"

More certain than ever before, the child nodded. "I'm telling you, it was. The energy blast and sneaky attack from behind just proves all the more that it was, in fact, that monster! I'm very sure!"

Without missing a beat, Trunks clicked his fingers and faced his younger friend. "How about those Cell JRs? I remember those clones that he spat out having similar attacks to Cell. I can imagine him having that tiniest bit of energy to send another one after you –as if to trick you into thinking it was him. Then, you'd be after that Cell JR whilst he had time to recover."

Gohan sighed. "I remember a time when things never used to be so complicated."

"So there must be a Cell JR running about." Trunks concluded. "Cell must have done that. There is no way for him to have the energy to attack you, especially out in the open. I believe that he is sadistic enough to wait and recover, planning what to do next."

The older half breed placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder and looked at him gravely. The boy stared back with troubled eyes. "You need to watch your back, Gohan. Cell's not only after your life, but revenge too. He wants you to suffer before trying to kill you. It seems stealing your father away from you wasn't good enough."

Gohan's eyes flickered with anxiety. "I know..."

* * *

Trunks had just gone out to check out the times for the tournament, leaving Gohan alone in the common room. This was a good time more than ever to open the capsule his mother sent him. So throwing the capsule lightly to the floor; it exploded and expanded into a small cloud of smoke. The tiny cloud grew bigger and bigger until Gohan felt like he was choking on the fumes.

He ran to a window and let all the smoke out, surprised that his mother had use a faulty capsule. He continued to waft away the smoke, coughing a little into a hand as it flew away into the yard. He was doing a damn good job at destroying this hotel. Damn Capsule. But then again, his mother wasn't into gadgets and gizmos. Turning back to where he threw the capsule, he realized why it responded in the manner in which it did. Mountain high stacks of books, clothes, UNDERWEAR, maths equipment and other embarrassing goods were scattered all about. He almost performed a double take at the amount of items that his mother had rammed into the container!

No wonder it exploded!

His eyes then switched to a note pinned to his boxer shorts. He blushed in pure embarrassment.

_Gohan, baby,_

_I've given you clean clothes that should last you until the end of the week. Also, I've made some pack lunches for you and they should get you by for the next two days –IF YOU EAT THEM PROPERLY AND NOT GULP THEM DOWN IN ONE GO. Do you hear me, young man? Don't waste my cooking in one swoop! _

_And you see those text books? Yes, that's science, maths, geography and so forth. Well, they're going to be used for studying! Your father promised me that after all this trouble with these silly enemies that you could be a scholar, and so you're going to have to study harder than ever to catch up with everyone else your age._

"I'm already ahead of people older than me..." the boy whined under his breath, thankful that his mother was not there to scold him.

_But, baby, please look after yourself. I miss you very much, Gohan. I know what you're doing isn't safe so I worry about you each and every moment, but I know you'll come back to me with you smile. Your father is watching over you, so I feel safer knowing that. _

_Lots of love, _

_Your mummy _

The half breed, still with tinged cheeks, wiped away threatening tears from his eyes. Even through the embarrassment, he missed his mother and felt a lot of guilt for putting her through such pain. First his dad left her, and now him? She was alone and probably devastated. With no information of anything that was going on around, she simply had to wait for-

"Does nobody ever clean up around here?!"

Gohan rapidly turned around and noticed a familiar face right behind him. A scowling face.

"Moth- I mean, Miss Anonymous!" Gohan blurted out in the woman's presence. Yes, indeed, it was his mother. Her long shiny black hair was held loosely in a bobble and she was clad in the same fighting Gi she was wearing yesterday.

"Is this all your stuff?" She hissed at the eleven year old, hands on hips. "I came down here to relax, but it seems all your belongings take up most of the space."

"Umm, sorry miss..." Gohan mumbled into his chest with a bowed head.

"Are you crying?" She then asked him, noticing his damp eyelashes. The child quickly wiped his eyes again with his arms and mumbled something to her. The female fighter guessed it was something about denying his tears. Chi-Chi frowned even more so. "Such an emotional kid fighting is stupid."

"Sorry..." the younger of the two muttered again.

"And look at what you're wearing; a tattered fighting gi that you wore yesterday? How silly, especially since you have all these clothes everywhere!"

"Sorry!" He kept his head bowed and she just frowned at him. Her eyebrow rose as she noticed a piece of paper clutched in the child's hand lightly. She snatched it quickly before, even, he realised what was happening.

"Miss, give me that back! Please!"

Gohan's protest went ignored and she opened the paper, reading the message with great interest. Chi-Chi was completely ignorant towards Gohan's frenzy of panic attacks. Her face was the exhibition of many expressions; her default frown, amusement, confusion and then sadness. She looked at Gohan with pity and the boy was completely unsure of what she was to say.

"I thought your name was Cyber?"

Actually, he didn't expect that.

The half Saiyan had NO clue about what to say.

"Although, I think Gohan is a much better name." Chi-Chi commented as she looked over the letter again. "You know, Gohan, your mother's hand writing is very similar to mine!"

"Is it now?" The boy uttered bluntly. He then looked at her properly through his wide, sparkling eyes with hope. "And please Miss Anonymous, don't call me that name! Call me Cyber! You can't let anyone hear you call it me! Please!"

"Fine, I won't let anyone hear me call you 'Gohan'." She sighed and placed her hands back on her hips, before winking at the kid playfully. "But on one condition! Goku Son, tell me, has he said anything to you about a girl called Chi-Chi?"

"Wha- What?!" Gohan panicked again under the spotlight. "No! I don't even know him properly!"

"Fine." She then growled under her breath and patted Gohan on the head before leaving.

This was when Trunks chose to return, giving Chi-Chi a strange look as she passed him. Her eyes were fiery and the man didn't feel like getting in her way –that was practically suicide! Edging his way past the woman, Trunks ran up to Gohan and handed him the times of the tournament matches.

"But what 'bout the Cell JR?" Gohan asked him, concerned.

"There's not much we can do at this moment in time. We'll just wait for now and continue with the tournament as normal. When the Cell JR tries to attack you, I'll take it down then. I'm very sure Cell doesn't know I'm even here, so, hopefully, it should go smoothly. But then again, I have a feeling things are going to get quite complicated today..."

* * *

**How about that for a quick update –well for me anyway! =)! I know it wasn't a very detailed and a brilliantly good chapter, but I think I should give an explanation for Cell's absence and bring dear mother into the story. People will probably be happy that we're back to the tournament. Yes, it's shorter than the last one, but not by much. But I'm surprised I got it out at all. I've been busy for the last couple of days but I felt guilty for making people wait in long lengths of time. I'll try and update soon, but probably not as soon as this update was. Maybe a week? Maybe longer? Maybe shorter? Who knows? Thanks again for all Pms, Reviews, alerts and favs!**


	13. Bulma's Discovery

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

**

**Must finish. Must finish. MUST FINISH! Ahh, I'm an idiot too. I've been calling Piccolo 'Junior' when I should be calling him 'Majunior'. Is that right? Oh well, I'll stick with Junior because uh... well, I don't have a reason.**

**

* * *

Chapter 13… Bulma's discovery**

The announcer stood before the small group, and Gohan watched him nervously as he read the letter. He 'hmm'd' and 'ahhh'd' every so often, even nodded when he felt the need to. Eventually, the announcer lifted his head and faced the finalists. Everyone was there; Goku, Kami-uh Hiro, Tien, himself and even Piccolo stood nearby –but there was one person missing.

Chi-Chi.

But before he could blame someone... Cell...the announcer was quickly given a note from the woman before her disappearance.

"Well, it seems Miss Anonymous excused herself from the tournament," he then said, obviously disappointed. He sighed, and folded the letter up and placed it in his pocket.

"Wha- what?!!" Gohan couldn't help himself. And every person in the small group looked at him. He gulped. "Wh-what I mean is, is that someone can't suddenly pull out of the competition. I mean, where's the sportsmanship? Aheh?"

"Hmm, I gotta agree with Cyber,". Gohan turned to see his father rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Soon though, he smiled and faced his tiny audience. "But Chi-Chi did say she had a good reason for leaving. But didn't say what..."

'_Chi-Chi?' _The half Saiyan felt his heart slow down and he felt less panicked. If he was referring to his mother as 'Chi-Chi', then that meant that he had already proposed to her. He took a deep breath. It may have happened differently, but at least his parents were engaged and he was going to be born in the next year.

"I-I guess so." Gohan mumbled, mentally sighing in relief.

With all honesty, he would prefer to be born...

The announcer produced a clipboard and ruffled through the papers. "So it seems the next fight is between uh... Tienshinhan and Cyber."

"Um, sir, that's not right. Isn't it Hiro verses Junior first?" Gohan piped up once more.

"Considering the delay, I don't think we can say that things will run smoothly today." The reply sounded with a shrug, his uncaring eyes hidden beneath sunglasses. "This is the fight schedule the judges gave me." He flashed the clipboard, and pointed to the names of the finalists. "I might as well stick with it. I don't think the crowd cares about the order of fights, just as long as they happen."

Gohan squirmed uncomfortably.

Tien stepped forward and folded his arms, arrogance dripping from every movement he performed. It wasn't the kind of 'in your face' arrogance -but rather a special kind of arrogance that liked to be hidden beneath stoic tendencies. "So, I'm up first, right?"

The half breed wanted to crawl under a rock and die... Well, something close to that.

He didn't want to continue fighting his friends like this: just beating them...one by one. First, Krillin, then Yamcha and now Tien...?

"B-But, wait, Mr. Announcer," Gohan protested. "Think about it. After Tien and I fight in our match, Hiro and Junior will have to fight." The announcer looked at him, bored. "Then Goku will have to fight the winner from that match, who will be really tired. That wouldn't be fair though, right?"

"That's a good point, actually." Tien admitted, nodding his head in agreement.

"So shouldn't Hiro and Junior fight first?"

The announcer groaned quietly to himself went deep into thought. "I understand. But we can't change that now. When the time comes for Goku to fight, we will postpone the match to let the fighters break."

Now, Gohan groaned. _'Darn, I really didn't want to fight first!'_

________________________________________________________________________________

Cyber VS Tien

Hiro VS Junior

Goku VS Anonymous (Anonymous recently pulled out of the competition)

______________________________________________________________________________

Bulma looked at the fighting list worriedly. It was finally nearing the end of the tournament, and things weren't looking up for them. Krillin was disqualified, Chiaotzu was in hospital... and Yamcha, well.... he had lost the match and his pride. All that remained was Tien and Goku. And, with not wanting to sound too pessimistic, she had a feeling that Tien was not going to win.

This Cyber was trouble.

Presently, Bulma was in the nearby cafe, awaiting the start of the next fight. It was the dinky cafe that Krillin had dragged them along to the previous day. When Cyber was with them. Sure, Cyber and everything about him seemed all mysterious. But was he really as much trouble as everyone made him out to be? –although she had to agree that something was odd about the kid. Yet, Goku seemed to not fuss over him. His only concern was about Piccolo.

She rubbed her chin and continued to ponder this.

"I'm meant to be the genius and even I can't figure this out." She groaned, narrowing her azure eyes.

'_First this kid shows up. Dopey as can be. But I gotta say, he didn't seem all that comfortable to begin with –it was obvious that he was hiding something. None of those muscle-heads realised it though. It was only because Puar overheard a conversation that we realised that Cyber was not just simply 'a little kid'._

_Puar said he was plotting something against Goku. However, Cyber denied it straight away and I had a strange feeling that he wasn't lying. Cyber is just a kid, and I can't understand why a little boy like him would be able to do any harm to Goku, but the others are really pulling their hair out of this one. I understand that he is strong and all, and he is really secretive, yet... he has this strange aura that reminds me of Goku when he was a kid. Strange..._

_And thinking about it now, Cyber does look _a lot _like Goku. Same hair, same eyes and heck, even that same stupidity!_

_Perhaps..._

_...Perhaps..._

_Cyber is secretly Goku's..._

Bulma smacked the palm of her hand with her fist and grinned wholesomely. "Yes, it all makes sense now! Cyber must be using an alias! And he must be... And then that means... Teehee, this all too juicy!"

Giddy with excitement, she then slammed the table she was at with both fists and stood up, proud and content with such a discovery. Continuing to smirk, she ignored all the other customer's stares and puzzled expressions. This was all until she noticed an odd, young man blinking at her outburst.

He looked very... familiar. So she approached him.

"You're one of Cyber's... uh... friends, aren't you?" The scientist casually asked the young man.

He murmured something in reply she couldn't hear, so she told him to speak up.

"Yes, I am." He repeated, this time a little louder.

"I heard about you from Yamcha. 'Said your name is... Borg? Is that right?"

He nodded, a little shyly –she noticed.

"That _has _to be an alias. COME ON!" Roughly, she prodded at his chest with her manicured nails. He only stumbled a little but looked very awkward under her attention. He scratched the back of his head nervously and Bulma recognized the familiar habit. She kept such information to herself for now.

"No, I can assure you that... 'Borg' is very much so my real name." Borg then told her, shoving hands into the pockets of his baggy Gi pants.

'_He must be a fighter too. I wonder why he didn't compete in the tournament like his friend.'_

"Okay, BORG, tell me; Cyber isn't an enemy of Goku, is he? He isn't trying to kill him, he isn't working for Junior and he certainly isn't attempting to take over the world, right?" She poked him in the chest time and time again, harder with each prod.

"Um, ah?"

"Seriously, I just want to know the truth."

"Well, Gooo-Cyber doesn't want to hurt Goku or any of your friends. I-In fact, it would be better if you don't even acknowledge him or me at all. Uhm... Go-...Cyber is nothing to do with Goku." he eventually replied, brushing a hand through his lilac hair. Bulma could see the lies scraping out between his teeth.

He seemed just as stable as Cyber was. The two were just _too _nervous.

"Do I know you from anywhere? It's like I've seen you before."

"Uhh-"

"Trunks! Hey, Trunks!" Both Bulma and 'Borg' turned around to see Cyber running towards them.

"Trunks! I've been looking everywhere for you! Where have yo-Oh." Cyber soon noticed her. Bulma could tell that inwardly, he was slapping himself silly for the slip up.

"Trunks?" Bulma repeated, bemused. She watched on as the duo turned from pale to ghost white. "Trunks is your real name? That's something I can believe, over 'Borg'. Next time I suggest that you pick a more believable alias." The woman folded her arms and frowned. "But why do you need an alias, huh?"

"Trunks isn't his name!" Cyber laughed forcedly. "It's... a, um... code name! Yup, a code name! He is Trunks and I am... uh... Panties..."

"Fine, Mr. _Panties_, I know who you are and I know what you want with Goku!" Bulma exclaimed, hands on hips –a glorious grin glistening on her bonnie features. "It's not hard to see the similarities between you and Goku; you're both so a like! Such similarities can only be shared in family!"

She wanted to laugh freely at the paling expression on the boy's face, but continued nonetheless. Sweat poured down Trunks' head and Cyber looked ready to explode at any second.

"You're really..."

"No!" Cyber interjected. "I can explain!"

"... Goku's long lost little brother."

Bulma now felt very proud. She had cracked the secret that nobody else could. Oh, how she couldn't wait to see the others' faces when she told them about this. She certainly was a genius and deserved everythi-

"BUAHAHAHAAA AHAHAAAA!"

A vein bulged on her forehead as she watched the little boy crack up into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Even the 'Trunks' fellow was fighting back the giggles.

"Wh- what?"

"AHAHAAA! You thought, that I- Ahahaha!"

"What are you laughing at?!" she screamed at the kid.

It took him a moment to compose himself, but after a few seconds later, and wiping watering eyes dry, he turned and faced her –a very joyful smile plastered on his rosy face.

"That's made me very happy!" he chuckled again, but it was softer this time. "Sorry for the rude outburst. It's just... you're very close, yet very far from finding out who I am."

A hand slammed down very hard over his mouth. Trunks looked at Bulma very worriedly –faking a large smile. "Sorry about that, he seems to be delirious from the heat. I think I might take him to the nurse. Why don't you go and find a seat for the finals?" He then nervously laughed and dragged the boy away.

Bulma watched on for a moment with a scowl, insulted. Soon though, her brow furrowed and she rubbed her chin again.

'_Very close, whilst very far, huh?'_

She'd crack this sooner or later...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm very sorry for the delay, but the continuation of the final rounds are about to begin!" The hustle and bustle of the crowds suddenly began to cheer, and wolf whistle as the announcer spoke to the audience. "First, we have Cyber V Tienshinhan!"

From the other side of the stage, Gohan gulped and tried to swallow his nervousness. He knew he was stronger than Tien, heck; he was even stronger than the Tien from HIS timeline. In all truths, he hated fighting with a passion. Sure, sparring could be fun. But actual fighting was horrible to him.

And it was worse, considering he was fighting a friend!

"This is going to be a fair fight, right?" Gohan's attention shifted and he noticed Tien standing next to him. The man was cracking his knuckles and doing various arm stretches before the match.

The half Saiyan nodded. "Of course. I haven't cheated, and I don't plan to!"

Tien nodded and faced the boy. "I'm not scared. Your simply one step closer to beating Goku."

Gohan fought back a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head.

"Please can Tienshinhan and Cyber report to the stage!"

* * *

**Riiiight, well, umnn, taadaa? No, it's an even smaller chapter than last time. Sorry :S. ALSO, I'm very sorry for not replying to reviews this time around. I keep forgetting, and I was too scared to even approach this story because of the writer's block. ...I still hate this story. Anyway, thanks for all reviews, PMs, alerts and favs. They do mean a lot. I also can't believe how many reviews it has too, thank youuu. Also, thanks to my awesome Beta; Lunamaru!  
**

(Lunamaru says HI! And also puts in that she changed "panties". It was originally "underwear". I liked panties... XD)

**Yes, after a little debate, we went with panties, rather than Underwear or Bra... or Thong. =D**

**~ Danni  
**


	14. Tien Vs Cyber

**A Hero's Time Warp**

**This is a mini chapter. That means I will update soon! As it is the Christmas holidays, I will definitely be doing some writing. I have written the main events of the story down to see how much I have to do; quite an amount, Eeek! But I think I'm over half way. Another reason I had to make it so short is because of what will happen next chapter wouldn't fit in right with this part of the story. Oh well, 1000 words isn't THAT short, right? Riiiiiight? The story will probably get a little darker actually, but that is when it gets to the actual good part! Sorry for the short length and please bear with me until next week! Sadly, I couldn't get this chapter Beta'd because my internet may go off this week and I wanted to put it up quickly. Sorry for any mistakes and see you soon!

* * *

  
**

**Mini Chapter 14… Tien Vs Cyber

* * *

**

"Okay! And you may begin!"

Crowds cheered, booed and waved giant signs which would have toppled over if there were less than three people holding them up. The fun fair games were back on, despite the rain from the previous day; many people losing their valuable cash to the cons. Burgers sizzled in the kitchens, and children buzzed with excitement.

But still, nonetheless, it remained tense in the ring.

Tien stared Gohan down, and Gohan remained as silent and stoic as he had ever been in his life –well, dismissing the Cell games.

Now it would be the question of who would make the first move. Either one of them seemed as capable as one another other, but neither was moving. The younger of the two clenched his fists and stumbled backwards slightly, and Tien took this as sign of preparing to attack. So he made his move.

Tien dashed, at full speed, towards Gohan with both his curled fists at the ready. With widened eyes, the half breed felt utter surprise at the sudden attack. The child crouched down to the floor, preparing himself for the assault –with both hands wide and ready to catch either fist coming his way.

"Wooooow, folks! It looks like Cyber is going to take Tienshinhan's attack on! What a fantastic way to open the match!"

Just as the announcer had spoken to the audience, a bright, blinding light began to shine in the ring. Several people mistook it for Tien's famous Solar Flare, but even said fighter stopped mid attack. Both opponents looked up into the clear sky for the source of the light, but neither seemed to be able to find anything in the blinding sky.

Gohan stood up properly from the floor and looked around.

Tien followed suit and scanned the area.

"I think this tournament is jinxed." Tien commented.

The hybrid turned around and looked into the crowds for Trunks, but no sightings occurred. Something was up. Gohan returned back to his stance and scowled.

"We need to make this quick." The half-Saiyan spoke sternly, his eyes glistening anxiety. "If this fight doesn't end soon then I'm sure that this will become dangerous."

Tien's eyebrows rose and complete surprise washed over him. But he nodded, despite the boy's change in behaviour.

This time, there was no brief pause, or no wait for someone to attack. In fact, Tien didn't even have time to blink. Gohan had made a move with such speed and such power that he didn't know what hit him. For a moment, Tien wasn't even aware that the hit had landed. But upon looking down, he noticed the fist firmly placed in his gut and the pain suddenly seeped through his body.

It took a moment but the impact finally took effect and Tien flew across the stage and smashed into the wall opposite. The debris of the damaged wall scattered around madly and dust evaporated into the blue sky. Yet, still, the blinding light remained.

People in the crowds gasped, and their eyes bulged out of their heads. Seconds passed until cheers filled the silence, and people chanted out his alias with congratulations and happiness. The blinding light was completely forgotten, but had finally disappeared.

Gohan hadn't forgotten though.

Actually, he had run off stage before the announcer could even congratulate him.

He darted off back stage and sprinted past the remaining fighters.

Finally, he had realized everything.

Finally, he knew what to do.

Finally, he had discovered where Cell was...

* * *

"First Yamcha, then Krillin... and now Tien!"

Bulma sipped her coffee, and nodded at Roshi's words. The old man hid his anxious eyes behind his glasses but the scientist could see right through him. She felt just as concerned though. Not just because of this mysterious Cyber, but...

But...

It just didn't feel right. Nothing felt right.

Her brow furrowed and her forehead wrinkled as she glared down at the lipstick stain on the cup. Yet... was Cyber stronger than Goku? No... No... No one was stronger than Goku, right?

"BULMA!"

And speak of the devil...

"Cyber?" The blue-haired woman didn't know how to react –this boy just KO'd near enough all her friends. For someone who had just won a fight, he didn't look too happy; in fact, quite the opposite. Sweat poured down his forehead, despite asserting a lack of effort in his match against Tien, and he was pale and pasty. Bulma was almost tempted to diagnose the kid with flu!

"Y-you r-remember the Red Ribbon army right?" His breath was hitched as his chest rose up and down furiously.

Bulma suddenly felt entitled to answer him, out of pity; she supposed. "Yes, I remember. Why?" Her eyes narrowed. "Do you have something to do with them?"

"Listen, does the name 'Gero' mean anything to you?"

"Gero... As in Dr. Gero? I've heard of his name once or twice as I've flipped through some research books. Rumours say that he worked for the Red Ribbon army." Bulma paused, inhaling briefly. "Wait, is it true?"

"When was the last time you heard of him? What did it say in these research books?"

"Sheesh, what do I look like to you, kid?!" she snapped. "I haven't got the memory of a computer! I don't remember."

"...Nothing?" His eyes lost their wild excitement.

"Well," she murmured, biting her lip in apprehension. "Once, a colleague of my father mentioned that Dr. Gero often retired to the mountains after long sessions of work. By mountains, I'm sure he was referring to the ones nearest to Capsule Corps. I'm sure I have seen explosions around there..."

The boy sucked in his breath, swallowed and nodded before bidding her farewell.


	15. Cell

**A Hero's Time Warp**

**! Yeuuusss, an update! I'm in a VERY good mood too! I just got some new Ouran books, score! As I ordered the 12****th**** issue about a month ago, I thought the 13****th**** wouldn't be out for ages. But heck, when I went to pick up my order today –I saw the 13****th**** on the shelf! It was the most beautiful moment ever to have ever been... **

**Um... On with the show!**

**Chapter 15… Cell**

Gohan had taken to the skies. He zoomed by each unique cloud faster than even he thought possible. Narrow-minded, the boy set his sights on reaching the mountains. This time he was sure. Cell, the evil tyrant, was going to be there.

And he was going to take him down.

Something made Gohan worry though. Trunks had vanished, and the eleven year-old had no idea where he could have gone to. Something in the pit of his stomach made Gohan think that Trunks also figured out where Cell was too. Maybe he had discovered it when seeing the light also, or perhaps he had discovered it another way.

Gohan had realized what the light was the moment it had came into his vision. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten it! Gero, as he remembered, studied the power levels of his friends and father in the tournament. Gohan supposed that Cell was simply after revenge in the past –by killing his father or something of similarity.

But no; Cell was smarter than that. From the beginning, Cell had insisted that he were to compete in the tournament. Sure, it must have been nice to see Gohan squirm in the fights with not wanting to hurt or accidently kill his friends. Yet, there was always something more to it.

Cell had wanted Gero to get an earlier reading of his power level.

If Gero received a reading of his power level, even in such a weak state, it could make Cell ten folds stronger in the future. So the light in the sky... was actually the bug that belonged to Gero which began self destructing because of Gohan's power level being so fierce.

The young Saiyan felt his heart beat quicken. If the bug had picked up on his power level... then the whole world could be in danger.

... He quickened his pace.

Krillin clenched his fists as he sat quietly amongst his friends. His silence went unnoticed as his friends discussed what happened in the fight between Tien and 'Cyber'. Tien was in the medical bay at the moment due to the injuries he had gathered from fighting the young half breed.

Bulma was openly discussing her concerns.

"Surely, Goku, you've got to be worried about him. I mean, sure, Piccolo IS strong. But we know nothing about Cyber, or that Borg –Or who the hell ever they are!" Bulma paused, rubbing her temples as she looked at the stoic Krillin. "Well, what do YOU think?"

Krillin, still in his own little world, narrowed his eyes and looked out into the distance.

The blue-haired genius sighed.

Goku stood up from his seated position on the bench, dusting himself down. He faced both Bulma and Krillin, and smiled encouragingly and flashed them a thumbs-up. "No worries, I promise, eh?"

Now the bald monk turned to his best friend, returning the gesture. "I suppose we have no choice other than to believe in you, Goku."

"You two are idiots." Bulma snapped, folding her arms. "You're going to get us killed." But her features softened. "Yet, I guess Goku has never let us down before."

With that, the three friends wondered over to the area of where Piccolo and Kami were about to fight...

Gohan soon noticed that he was flying in a familiar area to where he was searching for Gero's lab back from his timeline. A small smile graced his lips as he landed on the closest patch of land. Small, familiar gusts of wind flew by softly as he recalled the last time he was here. They had been attacked by Gero –targeted in order for the mad scientist to be able to release the evil known as Cell. Eventually, as time withdrew out, it resulted in Gohan VS Cell –and it finally ended with Goku six feet under.

This time, the boy decided, it was going to be different. His brow furrowed and dedication shone through his eyes.

"CELLLLLLLLLL!" As he screamed, all the air left his lungs and his voice became hoarse. Nonetheless, he continued on. "Where are you? This isn't FINIIIIISHED!"

Gohan span and turned, eyes darting around madly –he looked to the sky, the caves, floor- anywhere where the monster might have hidden. Nothing.

Considering his actions for a moment, Gohan mentally laughed at his own stupidity. He had just given away his whereabouts. He gathered his thoughts for a second, and breathed out his anger. After everything that had happened back in his timeline, he needed to be about to resist letting emotions get the better of him –and that included arrogance.

Curling his fists, he prepared himself for an attack. More wind whistled past him as did time. He felt as if he was waiting there for no less than an hour –whereas, it couldn't have been longer than ten minutes.

"Hey, what are _you_ looking so tense for?"

Gohan darted around to find himself face to face with Trunks. His hardened expression lessened as he released the little, remaining air in his lungs. A calm smile overtook his features. "Oh, thank heavens, it's only you, Trunks."

"Yeah, hey, what are you doing here, Gohan?" he asked in response, cocking his head somewhat.

"'What am I doing here?'" the child repeated, "What are _you _doing here? You just disappeared from the fighting ring!"

"I know," a sigh sounded from the lilac-haired fighter. "But I've been coming here in search of Cell and the lab every so often."

"You didn't tell me this!"

"Well, I was going to tell you if I found the lab. I needed you to focus on what was happening at the tournament." Trunks explained. "I wasn't a hundred percent sure whether or not Cell would appear in this area. However, considering you're here, I will take it that you have come to the same conclusion that I came to."

Gohan nodded. "There is no Cell junior here. I take it that you remember what your mum said about the bug."

"Yeah, I realised it just before the tournament started again this morning." The older hybrid looked away into the sky. "I completely forgot up until this morning that there has been a bug spying on Goku and the others since the Red Ribbon army attack years ago."

"Yeah, it's the same for me." Gohan nodded, bringing Trunks back to his attention. "That's how Cell learned about our attacks, right?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, so it wasn't a Cell junior which attacked me earlier –and remember that white light?"

"Err... No?"

"Well, just before I left the tournament, there was this light –this excruciating light that blinded you." A pause occupied the air. "I realised right away that it was the bug Bulma mentioned was spying on us."

"Why was there light?"

"The bug is mechanical, right? It exploded because of the power reading of either one of us. Even though my dad from this timeline can't sense our power levels as we are suppressing them, it doesn't mean that something as sensitive as Gero's handy-work won't pick them up."

"You'll make a decent scientist one day." Trunks laughed.

"It's not that complicated. In fact, it's very understandable!" He beamed at his friend. "Wait a minute... If that wasn't the way you found out about the bug... then... how did _you_ remember?"

"I guess I just simply... remembered..." he chuckled sheepishly.

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "You could have remembered earlier..."

"Ah, Goku, what brings you to visit me?" Kami turned his attention to the young man before him.

Goku's usually happy-go-lucky smile was no longer present and a new demeanour of anxiousness was now on show.

"Kami... you're up against Piccolo... Aren't you concerned?"

The human-disguised Namek shone a sly expression which startled the young man and earned an uneasy frown. "My, my, Goku, I expected you to have a little more faith in me then that."

"Yes, but if Piccolo dies... then so do y-"

"I'm aware of that."

"Then why are you so...?"

"Be patient." A pause came between the two, and the air became awkward. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

Goku's eyes lowered to the ground. "Not especially."

"Ah, I see. Well, farewell. Wish me luck, Goku."

The Saiyan watched as Kami walked away from the lobby, looking like not a care in the world was on his shoulders. Yes, Goku concluded, Kami was a strange one.

Yes, he also concluded, so was Cyber... and he was tempted to put the pieces together.

**I know, short! But I've been so busy. Like, so, SO busy. As the summer is coming up, I'll probably get a good amount out. But not promises. Well, ok. I promise : ). I've wanted to update for donks, and have been writing here and there. But overall, concentrating on college is first priority. Here, look at this damn schedule! **

**Mon – 1:30-4:30 College (Okay, my only time off is in the morning!)**

**Tue&Thur-9:30-9:00 College**

**Wed&Fri-9:30-4:30 College**

**Sat&Sun- Work from 9:00-8:00**

**I know it doesn't look that busy, but I ensure you it is! I haven't involved the times of doing the homework either. :( But hopefully, I'll have a lot of time this summer! So, sorry about the wait and I'll update ASAP. Thanks for all the favs, alerts, reviews and PMs.**


	16. The End

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

**

**Let's get a cracking, shall we? It is my goal to get this f****** thing completed (SUPER AGRESSION!)! I won't leave it, I just won't! D:**

**

* * *

Chapter 16… The End**

Trunks and Gohan had been aimlessly wondering around the mountains for about forty minutes. Despite having no luck, Gohan's optimism kept them going onwards. Cave after cave seemed just as empty as the last, and hope was diminishing slowly. The area seemed, somewhat, larger to the young fighter when looking this time around. It had taken nowhere near as long for him to travel from the martial arts stadium as anticipated, also.

Both males entered, yet another, cave and explored it thoroughly. They pressed down on the walls, looking for a secret switch of some kind – even pulling on rocks, hoping for them to be leavers. No parting of cave walls, or trap doors came into light.

"Maybe Gero isn't a cliché type of guy..." Trunks sighed, leaning against a rocky surface.

Gohan didn't reply. By now, they had tried everything they could think of. Near of enough every idea came from him –with Trunks throwing in the odd suggestion. He had considered a range of things, from; a fighter's perspective, realistic and grounded thoughts, trying to think like a villain and even comparing the situation to Indiana Jones-styled adventure films.

Perhaps, maybe, things just needed... simplifying.

"Hmn..."

Trunks' head whipped down in attention. "What? Have you figured something out?"

"Well, I just thought of something..."

"What... what is it?"

"About the lab... considering how long it took for me to fly here, it makes me think that something is different in this timeline to my timeline." Eager eyes watched Gohan as he became lost in thought."Where the tournament is located is in a city which is one of the closest cities to this mountain region. At home, if I flew from that city to the area of mountains at the same speed it would have taken about 50 minutes. But here... it took me no longer than 35.

"So there is something wrong with the timeline? It's been affected by your appearance, or Cell's?" Trunks inquired.

"Well, that's what I thought, originally. I had considered that our power levels have caused pressure on the timeline, due to the shock." Gohan intently stared at Trunks. "But that wouldn't explain _you_. When you defeated Frieza back in my timeline, nothing happened to change the atmosphere there, right?"

Trunks nodded numbly.

"Despite you being the same level as my dad, it still would have created an unbalanced universe. So that can't be the case either." Gohan continued, walking out of the cave and into the brightness of day. "I had to think 'simple'. So the simplest thing that came to mind was... population growth."

Trunks performed a double-take. "What?"

Gohan grinned. "Think about it! Twelve years down the line... Don't you think they would have stared expanding the city? With all those years, imagine all the extensions the city has had! And where are they going to build these new extensions? Obviously, the only way they can go is into these mountains. That would have added the amount of time it would take to get from that area of the city the mountain area in the future. "

"N-no... B-but. What ab-"

"I can knock hours off this endless search, Trunks!" Gohan winked. "All we have to do it continue on another 15 minutes via air! Then, we'll find the lab. Easy."

"N-no!"

"Trunks?" the boy uttered, concerned.

Suddenly, a surge of power exploded from the older fighter. Usually peaceful eyes fired up with aggression and turned on his comrade. Said boy was left stunned. Withdrawing a sword, as if from nowhere, Trunks charged and aimed into Gohan's stomach. Flames of energy and power licked out and blinded the child momentarily.

"What are you doing!" Gohan managed to scream out, shielding his eyes.

Unable to dodge, Gohan felt the blade slice into is skin. Pain was overwhelmed by shock. Even as he could feel blood trickling down from the wound, the only thing he could do was stare at his 'friend'. Confusion slapped him, and he faltered. It had all happened within seconds –if that. Nothing had taken him aback like this.

"T-Trunks?" Gohan managed. As soon as he spoke, he felt the pain –as though it had chosen when to strike. He doubled over, taking the sword down with him. The ground proved hard and cold, but it didn't take long before a red warmth leaked out of him.

"It's not fair!" Trunks protested angrily. "He said you wouldn't figure it out.

The sword didn't even wobble when Gohan tried to bring himself back up to his knees. Gingerly, the boy brought his twitching hand up to try and remove the weapon from his self. As much as it hurt now, he knew that removing the sword would do much more damage. He then considered how deep the wound was, and amount of blood loss which would occur when he removed the blade.

"He'll be so angry! Oh no!" Trunks hissed. Then, there was a sudden change in pitch of the voice –a higher, squeakier sound exclaimed. "This is _your_ fault!"

"You're not Trunks at all!" Gohan bellowed out, barely.

"Maybe he won't be mad..." 'Trunks' consoled himself, still continuing to speak in the new voice. "Yes, he won't! I'll get rewarded, yes... I'll get rewarded for killing his _ENEMY!_"

This new found enemy gave Gohan no choice as he snatched the sword, slithering it out of his gut in a red haze as he did so. The blood stream began to double in pace and the child released an ear-splitting scream. But before the man could strike again, Gohan tried to find every little bit of strength which remained and pushed himself up.

The man simply cackled, admiring his own bloodied sword. "There's no use! You're going to die anywaaaaaay!"

The high-pitched scratchiness of his voice made Gohan's ears burn. That voice sounded annoyingly familiar. What was it?

Another attack was sent flying in his direction, sword pointing at the ready. However, he easily dodged it –even with such a wound. Then another attack, and another, and another after another, each becoming faster, blinded Gohan's vision. There was no clarity in any block or dodge which the half Saiyan committed. The whole battle was a blur to him. A sudden nausesness made him nearly topple over, and he could feel his throat burn whenever he breathed.

"Can you feel it?" his sneering voice sounded.

Gohan growled at his enemy, managing to avoid the upcoming attacks.

"The poison, of course. The blade was slathered in it." A cackle shot through the air. "You can tell through your sloppy moves that it's affecting you! You're gonna' die before you see any lab, and my master will reward me for my deeds!"

"You... You m-m-mean Cell?" Gohan snarled, chest becoming heavier.

"Well, of course!"

"You're...the... the C-Cell JR, aren't y-you! What did you d-do with T-T-Trunks, you monster?"

"After a few modifications, my master transformed me into something else entirely. Whereas my strength wasn't modified, my intellect has been increased, and new powers have been introduced into my making!"

The attacks had stopped momentarily, and Gohan found it hard to breathe.

"Tha-That's w-why you could transfo...rm..." the boy barked at him.

The disguised Cell JR simply smirked.

"Where's T-Trunks?"

"My master disposed of him, and that left me in the clear to continue the plan." He casually replied, sending the most evil expression Gohan had ever seen –it didn't look befitting when using Trunks' body.

"He's n-not dead, I w-would have sensed their battle!" he denied, his panting now extremely noticable.

"I don't know." He dismissed. Gohan wondered whether or not he was lying. "But I do know that my job was to keep you busy."

"Well...C-Cell... he won't be happy!"

"And why's that? Amuse me!"

"You tried to kill me! If it was this easy... then w-why didn't he instruct you to do so earlier? For one reason, you moron, he w-wanted me alive!"

The Cell JR's eyes widened.

"For whatever reason, that si-sick monster ...wanted me to come here; to these caves, to this tournament, to this timeline!" Gohan shouted, applying pressure to his wound. "He n-needs me!" An uncharacteristic and sadistic laugh sprouted from the child. "The irony –he n-needs me alive for his plan! And I'm g-going to die!"

The boy found he could only laugh.

"You're mad..." the Cell JR hissed.

"I'm right!"

"You're not! Cell wanted to kill you for revenge! That's why you're here! He wants to make the remainder of your life _miserable_!" the android roared, unable to contain his anger anymore.

"You t-told m...me there was a –a plan! There is more to this, an-" Gohan hunched over in pain. He couldn't take it anymore. Everything hurt. Everything was on fire. He knew he was dying –it just hurt too much. But, he wouldn't let his opponent have the last laugh.

Raising an arm, he gathered as much power as his body allowed him. He knew very well that he wouldn't be able to access the second stage of Super Saiyan, but he had to, at least, try. Whirls energy orbited his form, many gusts of energy shooting off in different directions. The ground shuck with the pressure of the boy's energy, rocks even defying gravity, nearby.

His eyes flashed from black to teal and to black again. A pattern of these colours continued to shine from under his furrowed brow. Winds blew around him until a final burst of energy exploded out. His eyes then stuck to the new teal colour, and his hair decided to adopt a golden tone.

This wasn't the second level of Super Saiyan. But, it'd do; he had decided bitterly.

"You won't beat me in that form, you little brat!" the Trunks look-a-like yelled, clenching his sword.

"MA..." Energy gathered into his, still raised, arm. Cell JR didn't even flinch. "SENKO..."

His opponent then prepared to block the attack. The large sphere of energy which had been escalating in Gohan's hand was still spiralling, but the amount of energy within it was now gathering in the double amount of time.

"HAAAA!"

The ball went flying and headed straight for the target. However, the Cell JR grabbed it easily. A taunting laughter sounded as he fought off the attack. But, before he could laugh anymore, the energy suddenly increased in strength and he found he was having problems steering it away.

Sweat started to gather on the imposter's forehead as his grip increased. He had underestimated the child and he was paying for it. Yet... he refused to be beaten. Powering up, somewhat, he eventually was getting the upper-hand.

"Haha, you won't kill me that easily, Gohan!" he jeered.

With, now, a very strong block on the attack, Cell JR brought his arms upwards and bounced the attack away, over his head. He smirked, just about to turn and look at the boy. "Well Gohan, what do yo-"

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

Before he could even blink, a giant beam of energy slammed him straight in the chest. The Cell JR screamed in shock as the beam began to grow, and the energy began to inflate. Soon enough, the beam suddenly engulfed the body and the monster's screams echoed on for miles. And right in front of Gohan's very own eyes, the form of Trunks began to shift and change into the form of a Cell JR which was all so familiar to him.

When the energy finally gave in and exploded, Gohan (who was even struggling breathe) managed to stumble over to the dying body of the Cell JR.

"Y-You... l-l-little BRAT!" the small tyrant spat out, in a pool of its own blood. "You chicken... Y-Y-YOU COWARD! You d-distracted me, and h-hit me when I was d-down!"

Gohan scowled and countered him; "S-sound familiar?"

"Y-you l-little ROACH!"

Gohan had heard enough now. Bringing up his foot, and ignoring the scream of his enemy, he slammed his foot into the creature's head. Purple blood splattered everywhere as the skull crushed, sending a chill down the boy's spine. Quickly, he moved away from the corpse. The android was no more. He only had the stronger and more evil one to worry about now.

Oh... Great.

He wasted no time in powering down. His gold hair changed back to his normal colour of black, as did his tired eyes. Suddenly, a sharp pain caused him to buckle.

He could feel the poison in his body.

Bitterly, he smiled. "Cell must have needed me for something..." he chuckled weakly. "W-Well, at least I can't sup...ply h-him with... arghh...any of my power now." The child looked up into the sky, flinching. "Sorry, b-but I think it's up to y-you now, Trunks...W-Wherever you are..."

With that, Gohan slumped to his knees and collapsed to the ground.

He smiled and closed his eyes.

"I'm coming... dad..."

* * *

**The End...**

* * *

**Nah, just kidding. Tempting to leave it that way though –not because it's good, just 'cause it's easy. I feel like I'm getting somewhere now , to that bloody climax. This is like the final battle before the final battle. Sorry it wasn't up to scratch. It's hard to find love for this story –or any, really. Massive-ass block is all I can put it down for, I suppose. **

**The main thing that stopped me writing, which I think happens to all/most writers on here; was that I felt that my writing was nothing compared to the better stories on here. But the way I see it, now, is that it's just fan fiction. Good writing is great, but we're not all acclaimed authors... otherwise we wouldn't be on here, eh? **

**Aaaaanyway, It's coming up to the bit people have been waiting for, if anyone can have a guess at that... :) But I don't think it will be next chapter, or the next, but that one. I'm not too sure. I can just about see the end. Hopefully. I wanted this story to reach 20, so fingers crossed.**

**Anyway, not as long for an update this time. Thanks for all reviews, favs, alerts and PMs. **


	17. Meanwhile

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

**

**Hello again! Well, I am getting these out a little faster. I really think I might just get this story finished this summer. It's getting a little darker now, which is probably why I like writing it a bit more than I used to. I'm considering whether or not I should change the K+ rating to a T or something. But hey, all this crap has been in Dragonball/ Z anyway. Onwards!

* * *

**

**Chapter 17... Meanwhile

* * *

  
**

The battle between Kami and Piccolo had already ended, and it didn't look good. Piccolo had beaten and imprisoned his opponent, and advanced to the next round. The only person present who stood a chance against him was Goku.

A small break stood between the fighters and their match, and Goku gathered all the support from his friends –ready to take Piccolo on. Pressure was making it hard to think properly for Goku –muddled thoughts, ideas and scenarios where playing up in his mind. Two and two would not go together, despite how much he tried.

For the moment, he would try and leave the problems surrounding Cyber and attempt to concentrate on his match with Piccolo. However, the only thing he could think about _was _this mystery child. Nothing but questions popped up in his mind; where is he? Is he ok? What is he doing?

But the main question he was continually asking himself was; _'Why do I care so much?'_

"Goku, you can do it! We all have faith in you!" he heard a steady voice shout out to him, bringing him back to reality.

Goku faced his friend and smiled gingerly. "We're going to win this one, Krillin."

It didn't sound certain, however.

Krillin stopped smiling upon noticing the fighter's lack of confidence. He shuffled about nervously and looked up at Goku. "You're usually up for this. You're my best friend; I know what you're like." He inhaled and avoided eye contact. "We all know you have the power... even you know it, I'm sure of it. But... something is bothering you... What is it?"

Goku laughed quietly and turned away, looking outwards into the sky. "Nothing, jus' daydreaming."

Krillin adopted a saddened expression –taking on a smile which didn't quite reach from ear to ear. "I 'aint never seen you like this. But you gotta' suck it up, or Piccolo _will_ win!"

Goku couldn't answer him, and just walked away.

* * *

It was dark; nothing but blackness. He had to find a light –the blindness was insufferable. Stumbling around awkwardly in the endless space, his fingertips finally managed to reach a switch. Upon pressing it, vivid light shone around him and he watched as bulbs turned on further and further down into the eternal area. The light was intense and the young fighter caught himself shielding his eyes for a moment.

Adjusting to the luminosity, he looked around and admired the lab he had entered. One thing concerned him though, he could sense no power levels; not within the building, nor outside. One of his best friends was still outside, alone, and in a world where he could speak to no one.

"Gohan..." he muttered to himself, a churning in his stomach was causing him to feel uneasy. He felt as though something was wrong. "I hope you're alright..."

He brushed a hand through his lilac hair, wiping away all the sweat which had gathered there.

There were doors, everywhere, he noticed. Twenty, maybe thirty doors were in sight. He thought Gero's lab wasn't supposed to be so huge. Big; yes. Gigantic; not quite so. Eventually, he decided to take things in order and reached out for the knob of the first door. Twisting it, he found it was locked.

He swallowed and wiped forehead again, and mumbled something to himself in encouragement. "C'mon Trunks..."

This time, he just kicked down the door with ease. With no surprise, Trunks noted that there was no light in this room. Only light from the corridor seeped into the room and lit up a small fraction of the room. The half Saiyan's lip twitched upwards when he noticed the silhouette of a switch. He pressed it down hopefully, smiling slightly. But, nonetheless, it didn't take long for him to frown when the room remained in darkness.

"Damn... must be broken."

He didn't trust the area enough to become a Super Saiyan and illuminate the space that way. So he just had to make do and enter the room and into the ongoing blackness. As soon as he was completely in the room, a damp smell smacked him, and his nose crinkled continually. There was an unnatural presence in the room –something which sent chills down Trunks' spine and kept him alert. He continued walking into the room anyway, each step more cautious than the last. Even the sound of his own steps was making him nervous. He would not show this though. The young man refused to let such a situation get the better of him. That would give the enemy exactly what they wanted.

Suddenly, after taking another step; it started to sound... crunchier. He looked down warily and squinted his eyes –hoping to be able to see what was on the ground. He was so far away from the corridor entrance now that there was no light whatsoever. The crunching persisted as he shifted around, trying to enable to see it better.

He finally bent down and picked a small fragment up. It was glass. It had smashed long before he had entered the room, or the building and, possibly, even the timeline. After grazing over the top of hundreds of tiny pieces of glass, his hand felt a new object. It was a very small cardboard box. He opened it and felt about twenty little sticks.

"Matches..." he said, smiling in some kind of relief.

He lit one up and a petite part of the room came into vision. It was dirty and the lingering smell of dampness became even worse now that he could see the decomposing spectacle. Trunks felt his breakfast rush up into his throat as his eyes set upon the most putrid prospect he had ever witnessed in his life. There, in the centre, leaning against the wall, was the shell of a once-human being.

Its skin had been ripped, peeled and burnt. Eyes still ajar, but dry and empty –staring right into Trunks' very own. The mouth was so far open that the jaw looked like it had been dislocated, and that it had been screaming on for eternity. Trunks could sense the horror which this specimen had been through. Several teeth were missing, as was the tongue. However, the remaining teeth were completely black and ended as tiny little stubs. This bag of bones had been so unnourished that Trunks couldn't even determine its gender.

Another stench slapped him hard; the reek of decay. And as soon as it did, he couldn't hold down his food any longer. After being rid of his breakfast, he staggered away from the body as he held onto his stomach.

"E-Even the androids didn't do this to their victims... Gero is... a monster..." Trunks growled. He wiped his lip and considered whether or not he could endure to see another sufferer like the deceased body lounging against the wall.

Abruptly, Trunks was alarmed when a shrill shriek sounded. He turned and sprinted off in the direction of where the noise came from. His footsteps were so loud that they echoed on into the emptiness. His breath became hitched as fear shot through him. Had he always been so scared of the dark? Of the nothingness?

"Help me! Please? Is anyone there?" Trunks heard plea after plea being boomed out, each one getting louder as he moved forward. Eventually, he reached his destination. He managed to make out the shape of small, feminine body sat in the corner. Chains were holding the figure down.

She didn't flinch when he arrived. In fact, she didn't seem scared at all.

"Are... are you alright, miss?" Trunks asked her, kneeling down, pulling her chains apart.

"I-I'm fine," she replied firmly, despite the stutter.

"Don't worry, I'll help you."

Unexpectedly, her voice became angry. "My fiancé... my fiancé was supposed to save me! That's how it is supposed to be, not you!"

"Wh...What?" Trunks faltered for a moment and dropped the chains.

"What? I'm not going to thank you! I have a future husband to be faithful to!"

"Wai... wha..." Swiftly, it clicked in Trunks' mind. "Chi-Chi!"

"Huh?" The woman's tone became softer. "Do I know you?"

"I'm Trunks! No, I mean Borg! Whatever. I'm with Cyber at the tournament! You're Miss Anonymous, right?"

"You're with Gohan?" Chi-Chi inquired.

"What, he told you?"

"Well, I figured it ou-" She stopped so rapidly that Trunks grabbed her stone-cold hand when she shifted forward. Her thin brow furrowed and her free hand clenched into a fist, shaking faintly. Her eyes clouded and teeth clenched.

"Chi-Chi... Are you okay?" Trunks asked in a tender quietness.

"I...I..." Her voice cracked and she reached for her chest. "I feel like I just lost something really special."

Trunks looked at her, eyes wide.

* * *

Goku just collapsed down to his knees. It was midway through the match and both Piccolo and Goku were a little beaten. But not hurt enough to faint, or to be so damaged that treatment was necessary. Yet, the fighter just looked broken. The remaining crowd gasped, some cried. But nobody was as surprised as Piccolo. The Namek just watched his opponent stare off into space, as though he was trying to find or think of something.

Then, a sudden sick feeling made Piccolo, himself, feel nauseous. But it was nothing to make him want to stop fighting.

"Get up, Son!" Piccolo hollered at him. "Fight me to the death so it'll be more fun to kill you!"

Piccolo strode up to the man, but halted briskly when he detected a simple tear rolling down his nemeses' cheek upon looking up at him.

Goku spoke, his brow puckered. "Something worse is happening right now."

"Y-you're crying, Son!" Piccolo stuttered, completely horror-stricken.

Then, the young man stood up and glared at the demon warrior. "I have to go, Piccolo. Please."

Just as Piccolo was about to laugh and tell him 'no', the nauseous feeling began to weigh him down, returning with a vengeance. His darkened heart became somewhat heavy and his eyes expanded briefly. A horrid sensation shot through his body and he couldn't find himself being able to refuse his enemy's request. Something... was missing. Something had been lost.

"Go, Son. But I'll be here for when you return!" Piccolo snarled, turning his back on Goku.

The man arose stoically and nodded. "I will be back, I promise you that, and I promise Kami."

* * *

In the lonesome mountains, far away from civilization, three hikers and their dog were traveling to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A larger man, one not used to the outdoors found it harder to catch up to his two teenage boys and young Spot who were jogged up the huge hills. He stumbled after them, his breath heavy and sweat pouring from his fuzzy chin. He cursed and mumbled things under his breath, hoping for it to end, noting that he should lay off the chocolate.

However, it was the yell for his father, one out of pure fear, which caused him, for the first time in 13 years, to run up these huge hills without thinking.

And when he got there, his beetroot face paled to white.

* * *

**To be honest, I debated with myself for about fifteen minutes whether or not I should continue. I decided against it because everything I wrote came out wrong. It didn't fit in, ruined the scene, dragged out yada, yada. **

**Actually, this chapter basically ended near enough exactly the same as the last one. Not a lot happened in this chapter, but at the same time, it did. But I think the pace is picking up a little and blah, blah, blaaah. I've said it all before. Well, not as long as the last one but still faster. With Chi-Chi knowing about Gohan. It's not that she knows who he is, but only his name. Just to clear any confusion. **

**I just want to really say thank for all the reviews, seriously. I came onto this site when I was about thirteen or something. Four years shoot by and you still realise you're crap ahaha. In all seriousness, reviews have helped me a lot. Even those ones where they go 'Great, Update Soon'. They all make you want to continue, and develop the stories. And even better... the people you get chatting to! My beta is awesome, except I haven't been able to send my stuff to her lately (you may have noticed thousands of errors, I apologize).**

**So yeah, anyway, thanks for all PMs, reviews, alerts and favs. Update on its way!**


	18. Sleeping

**A Hero's Time Warp

* * *

**

"Truly tragic. Have you not been able to find his parents? ...Right, no luck whatsoever? Okay... Yes... I just wish I wasn't the one to break the news to the crowd. Cyber was a favourite to win it this year, and he was so young. I can't believe he's dead..."**

* * *

**

**Chapter 18... Sleeping

* * *

**

Goku didn't really understand why he stopped fighting Piccolo. He just knew he couldn't continue –that he had to be somewhere else. But, he had no idea where. Something, somewhere, was happening and he needed to be involved. His bones rattled with irritation and he was itching to use every portion of energy he had to help do something for some purpose. But, what?

His heart had so suddenly sunk. He had never felt so low in his life. Even when his Grandfather died, he had never had so many tears sting his eyes. This was all new, and he didn't like it. At first, he thought maybe this was the fault of him proposing to Chi-Chi. Maybe this had been what it felt like to be married, or something? He knew lots of guys who complained about their wives.

But that hadn't been it. It was stronger than marriage, he supposed.

"G-Goku, are you NUTS?" Goku turned around and faced Bulma lazily, still in a daze. She didn't look at all impressed. Hands on hips, clenched teeth, eyes so focused on him that were bulging –yes, she was _extremely_ angry. "What happened out there? You need to save Kami, not call for a break!"

"Shh..." Goku said softly to her, angering her all the more. "I'm thinking."

"_Ooh, _I'm sure _that _hurts." She snarled.

Then, there came an awkward silence between them. Bulma just stared at her friend, his eyes still misted and he was somehow looking smaller than he always had been. She attempted a smile. "Hey, sorry, 'just don't know what's going on in your head. You've been all mysterious lately, and none of us get it."

Goku raised his head and stared at her intently, he opened his mouth to speak, however-

"_An urgent announcement for all participants and ...remaining spectators, due to a tragic accident, the final match will not be scheduled to continue. We have concluded that the winner of this tournament is both Majunior and Goku!"_

Several 'Boos' could be heard.

"_Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for coming to the WMAT this year. Exits are at the rear and front of the ring. See you next time. Also, can the participants; Majunior and Goku, please come to the private lounge? Thank you." _

Goku didn't haste, even when Bulma called him back to her. He walked speedily down the hallways, avoiding any media, fans or haters and just continued onwards until he reached the private lounge. A lonely door was sported in the corner of a long corridor, near several potted plants. Eagerly, he tried the handle, but the door was locked. However, there was an intercom only centimetres away.

He reached for it and pressed down a sizably square button, speaking swiftly and firmly. "Uh hey, this is Goku."

There was a faint 'click' before the door cracked open. Inside, Goku noticed that Piccolo was already there. He could only stare at the young man with the same angered expression he had given him when he called off their fight. The room held a tense atmosphere. It was slightly claustrophobic and the air was a little thin. But Goku tried to put that down to the room being as small as it was.

"Ah Mr. Son." Greeted a stiff gentleman dressed in chequered suit. He had a rich accent the young martial artist had never heard before. Before Goku could even respond, the stiff man grabbed his hand and shook it violently.

He spoke again, full of self-confidence. "I'm Jacques Lefleur. I sponsored the WMAT this year. I run some small businesses in the travel and tourism market in the area, but I'm usually known for managing hotels in Europe. However, I'm now investing in some scientific industries."

Goku tried to look impressed.

Jacques Lefleur smiled emptily. "_You're_ a busy man. _I'm_ a busy man... so I'll make it brief."

The Saiyan then turned to Piccolo. His expression was dull, bored even.

"I am looking for the new face-" Jacques then turned to Piccolo and winked. "-or _faces_ of my latest business project. All I need you guys to do is to tell the people how good my next lot of hotels are –pose for a few lousy photographers, read some silly lines into a camera..."

"If this is anything 'businessy', Mr. Le-flower, then I can't really be any help." Goku said honestly.

"Lefleur." Jacques corrected sourly.

"This is a waste of my time." Piccolo snorted curtly. He brushed himself down before walking towards the door.

"No, no!" the business man approached the Namek, and brought out a memo pad. "Let me at least take your number."

"Mr. Lay-flour, that's not a good idea..." Goku warned him.

"Le_fleur_!" he stressed. He scribbled down some nonsense onto the small pad of paper, before turning and looking up at the tall green fighter. "Originally, I'll be honest, I wanted the kid. What was he called? Cyber? –Or something stupid like that. We would have had to work on the name, but..."

"Then stop pestering me, you imbecile. Go to him." Piccolo snapped."Let me leave or I'll kill you in a swipe."

"Mr. Laflair..." Goku continued, frowning.

"Le...fleur! Agh, fine; just call me Jacques." The stiff Frenchman turned back around to Piccolo, completely ignorant to the serious death threat. "Yes, I was looking forward to working with the Cyber boy, but with what happened... I'm surprised that you're unaware of your fellow competitor's condition."

"What are you talking about, Jack?" The Saiyan asked, suddenly perked with interest.

Jacques' eye twitched, and he paused."That's why the final match never went ahead, Goku. May I call you Goku?"

"Was he injured?" Piccolo asked. The Namek's intrigue surprised Goku.

"Dead." Lefleur deadpanned. "They found his body about an hour ago or so. Apparently someone stabbed him. What a terrible world we live in, but imagine both your smiling faces on giant billboards brightening everyone's days. I can see it now; 'Come to the Lefleur Hotels' in bubble wri-"

_Smack. _Right in the gut.

It seemed Piccolo had lost patience with the businessman and punched him straight through the door. Wooden pieces which were once part of the door scattered were now scattered around the room and edged into the hallway. Lefleur was leaning against the wall, twitching. Goku took this as a good sign. At least he wasn't dead.

But... Cyber...

Goku sat in a lonesome room, isolated. The tournament had been cancelled, Kami was still trapped, Piccolo remained unpunished and to top it off; Cyber was dead. Goku couldn't call this day a successful one, which was certainly for sure. Tired and at a loss for ideas, all Goku could do was reflect on the passing day and attempt to piece together the ankle-biting mysteries which mocked him.

The wind was picking up and he could hear the light patters of rain tapping at the window. He welcomed the depressing weather, feeling it was only appropriate for sky to be as miserable as he was.

Suddenly, he found his feet the most interesting thing in the world, even when the radio fizzled and crackled with static. He didn't even bother to raise his head when he heard the repeated message from the radio presenter about the 'Tournament scandal', or 'Murderer at the Budokai strikes!'. A churn in his stomach persuaded him that this was a turning point, and things were slowly going to unfold from here on.

* * *

Dark eyelashes fluttered. His eyes blinked open only to see darkness. His legs were as numb as his arms and a firm restriction stopped him from moving. Despite this, he could still feel the faint sensation of blood rushing to his head. An uncomfortable friction was swallowing his mouth and choking him, causing faint gagging from his behalf.

Was he gagged? He'd never known how it felt, so he couldn't compare.

Fingers twitched, but that was the only strength he could muster.

"Tired?"

He flinched at the voice. It was patronizing, dark.

"You should be. It took several types of sedatives to restrain you." A pause. "You should never mix drugs like that. It really is a wonder you are alive."

He could only release a lowly groan behind the tasteless material.

"I don't know who you are." The male voice sounded irritated, croaky now. "My detectors couldn't even comprehend your vast amount of power." A longer pause; then footsteps echoed against a tiled floor. Was he coming closer?

A hiss shot through his ears, only to realise that it was his own muffled voice. A sharp pain sliced into (what was supposed to be numb) arm. In addition to that, burning crawled up his throat, and he felt a sudden shot of dizziness before his being turned to jelly.

More footsteps could be heard, but these steps sounded stranger than the last. The echoes continued onwards seconds after each step. Every sound seemed stretched out and became louder; enforcing jolts of pain to shoot from one temple to another.

The man was speaking again, but nothing managed to make sense. Mumbles barely made it to his ears now, and he couldn't even find the energy to panic. Another sharp pain scratched at his skin, but it was in no comparison to the first. It didn't last long and he even managed to feel a little livelier.

A grumble identified itself from the mysterious man. Could he hear scribbling? Was this person taking notes?

He remembered taking notes. Every Saturday he would go out and study Phillip's behaviour, and take notes then.

Another sharp pain carved him apart; he flinched.

Phillip was a well-behaved dinosaur, not like Miki. Miki, once, chased him right down to the river. But he forgave her because she had babies, and mothers need to protect babies.

The pain dragged itself torturously through his calf. Was that a knife?

His own mother told him not to touch the knives without permission. But then Piccolo gave him a sword. He didn't tell her that, though.

Something warm trickled down to his ankle, and that's when he began to see the colours; red, blue, yellow... All floating; it was pretty.

"...eresting- ...No blood cl... erfect for testi..."

Tapping on his face began to tickle, so he smiled. Then he choked on something. Had he always been gagged?

"-an you hear? ...Listen you lit..."

The colours merged into shapes.

"I asked you a questi...!"

A sharp slap sent the shapes spiraling away, and then he realized his cheek was stinging.

Then he couldn't feel anything.

* * *

**Oh heeeey, sorry for delay. But I'm still kicking. These "cliffhangers" are probably grinding on people now, and I know everyone must have given up on this by now. But I am determined to finish this damn thing. Just to clear things up in the last half of the chapter, he has gone a little loopy (just if you are wondering whether or not I wrote this whilst taking something I shouldn't). I have set the story up to finish soon, nonetheless, sooo... yeah. **

**I am considering whether or not this will be my last fanfiction, after I finish Rejection of the Precious (When I get there), because I am tempted to write Bleach or a crossover or something. I am tempted to write something super, super dark (maybe you've noticed in my latest chapters). :D  
**

**Sorry for any mistake, this is un-betaed so there WILL be some. Thanks for all reviews, Pms, alerts and favs. Happy Holidays!  
**


End file.
